


Transparent Prayer

by Sugar_and_Salt



Series: Transparency [3]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fantasy, M/M, MAMA Powers, Minor Character Death, Romance, Smut, alternative universe, dubcon, lots of meditation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-23 01:25:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 41,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13179423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugar_and_Salt/pseuds/Sugar_and_Salt
Summary: Jongin and Sehun live on opposite spectrums. They pray to different deities and live by different ideals. They meet by chance, and then something darker than that pushes them together even further...





	1. White Coral

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoyed writing this, so I hope you can enjoy it, even if it's not perfect.  
> All the love to Tokki for betaing this - you're a hero(-bunny)!
> 
> If you got any questions about this, feel free to ask and I'll explain~  
> Love,  
> Sugar_and_Salt

 

Most of the town was still asleep when Sehun walked down the deserted alleys with the routine and casual grace of someone who grew up on these streets and witnessed even the tiniest changes over the years. His feet didn't move hastily, but with a certain purpose as he avoided what he knew to be loose cobblestones. The sky was bright, hues of blue and rose tinting it in a way that calmly announced the impending sunrise. Sehun liked early mornings like these. He enjoyed the silence, the crisp, clean morning air that was yet to be polluted by the smell of cigarette smoke, food and the unmistakable cocktail of human population.

On the day of Saturn, people rarely went out of their way to celebrate, anyway. It was work day like any other and, surely, the market was slowly filling with people caring for their booths. Sehun, too, had things to do, just enough tasks to keep him from getting bored. There was always work to do at the temple, and yet he wasn't here to start doing any of it.

He took another corner and walked down the almost nondescript alley the entrance was in. To his right, the tell-tale, high brick wall couldn't hide the magnificent temple, but it stopped most people from casually climbing over it. The white brotherhood of Soter didn't like intruders, they really didn't, and that was sort of the point. It was also the reason why the multiple entrances to the temple were always closed, no matter the weather or time. Today, too, Sehun had to push open the heavily ornamented stone door by himself. To any even mildly educated person this wouldn't look like a bad or unwelcoming gesture by the brotherhood, though. Only people with a belief so strong and firm that it started to reflect in their eyes were able to open the doors to the temple by themselves. Sehun had been able to do so for a long, long time, but he was still grateful whenever the cool marmor gave way. He greeted a few familiar faces with a faint, but genuine, nod as he entered the circular main hall.

Circles meant completion. Circles were impenetrable, leaving no opening at all, and the sight of the perfect circles on the ground made Sehun feel balanced, calm, and at home. They started from the center and grew wider and wider until they touched the walls, but not a single one was open at any place. Some were slim golden lines, others thick stone circles, and a few votaries were scattered across the hall, praying. No one was allowed to pray at the very center of the room - this was a right reserved for the high main priest - but other than that, there were no rules on how to pray. Beginners attended sermons, copied those they deemed wise, but Sehun had long learnt the way of praying he was the most comfortable with. He preferred solitude, choosing to silently pass the hall and enter a small room. It was always empty at this time, with a small window high above him dimly illuminating it. It was the perfect place with no distractions. Sehun didn't need a cushion as he knelt down on the ground. Today, he was in the mood for the silken cloth stashed away in a hidden pocket of his fluttery robe. It wasn't colored in the purest of white, but that was alright. Gingerly, he wrapped it around his head, taking away his sight and dimming his hearing just a little. He placed both hands on his lap, posture rippling into something straight, yet not too uncomfortable. Then he exhaled deeply, and let his mind be cleared.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"No, no, I'll be done by noon, it's really simple," Jongin called over his shoulder. The muffled voice of the store's owner told him not to rush things, as he tended to, and Jongin promised not to. He was a good apprentice, he really was. The only flaw his master kept complaining about would be his lack of patience. If Jongin saw a solution to his problem - and he often saw them, quickly at that - he was eager to solve it as soon as possible. Right now, a broken musical box was resting on the workbench, all carved flowers and prettily painted wood. To be honest, Jongin hadn't even really done anything yet. He had carefully removed the underside of the box and then thoughtfully stared into the maze of gears embedding the chiming cylinder, gently thumbing the cold metal. Only seconds later, he knew it was something about the comb. It was nothing specific, just a feeling. Jongin's feelings were usually spot on though, and when he carefully took apart the insides, he quickly realized that multiple tips of the comb had snapped off. Not inherently hard to fix, but he would need a very trained ear to pitch the new tips. Luckily, his master was as in tune with music as Jongin was with his instinct.

Votaries of Horme often worked in areas like these, and Jongin never aspired to be an exception. He loved his work at the repairstore, loved to prove himself on the most various of tasks, and sometimes, he got to see the joyful smile of people who regained a believed-to-be-forgotten treasure.

His eyes have been getting darker over the past two years and yet people insisted that they were warm as ever, which was another thing to take pride in. The black brotherhood of Horme believed in the concept of being open; open to the world, to people and opinions, wandering on earth with an open heart and feelings worn on your sleeve. Jongin had known that this was his place at a very young age already. Ironically, he'd been a shy, reclusive kid, but he firmly believed in being open to be the best way to live. He had been given a chance to prove himself, and that he had. Now his belief was so strong that the deity had blessed him - an honour that was only bestowed on those of the highest loyalty. Just like other people with unusually dark eyes, Jongin possessed a natural possibility of solving problems. Being open also meant to be sorted out and visible. Jongin was getting better at seeing these keys leading to the unravelling of metaphorically knotted threads.

Yes, Jongin's life was going quite well at the moment. He loved his work and the black flower of belief was starting to fully blossom among the chaotic reality he had grown so accustomed to.

The golden sunlight was slowly retreating from the crammed little workshop as the sun rose, and while Jongin deeply admired the way it reflected off of glass and metal, he was vaguely hoping for a certain someone to show up. He took his time working on the musical box, eyes continuously flitting up to the big window, watching adults and children pass by, most of them not sparing a glance at something that had been there for years and barely ever changed. Little did they notice that Jongin himself had been rearranging the exhibits and decorations when the shop was left to him recently. He hadn't done all that much, just replaced a few toys with those they had in store, putting up a few artsy mechanical parts of gears gripping into each other, symbolizing things that the unknowing passerby would not understand, but could admire the shine of. All this to keep the interesting stranger's attention. Over the course of the past few weeks Jongin had seen him occasionally, walking down the street and stopping in front of their window with the clear interest of someone who didn't frequent these streets. Jongin liked to entertain people and it had been awhile since anyone had looked this fascinated with what they had to show.

Jongin couldn't recall ever seeing this particular young man before, and surely he'd remember, for his hair had the color of black ink, deep and pure. Black hair was really rare - Jongin had only seen it on one other man - and obviously, people of Jongin's belief were a little biased, but Jongin just loved the color on this man. It contrasted so interestingly with his snowy white skin. One time, he had caught a glimpse of him wearing the typically flowy robes of the White brotherhood, and he had grimaced a little back then - the two groups weren't on the best of terms even on good days. Jongin's people liked to call them stuck up, but Jongin refused to go along with it. Being open meant being open to other cultures and beliefs, too. He was just a little worried the stranger might be put off by him. Still, the new-found fact had given him an idea and the result was now resting under the counter, in the form of a little, wooden box. A customer had meant to throw it out, but Jongin kept it instead, taking an opportunity when he saw it. It had been lying there for a few days and slowly, Jongin was starting to worry whether the man would ever return, but today was his lucky day, it seemed. He was wearing white again, but Jongin was not going to be intimidated. He observed the stranger for awhile, grinning in satisfaction when he seemed to notice the changes in window decoration. Just as he was about to continue on his way, Jongin grabbed the box and quickly slipped out of the door with the tell-tale jingle alerting the stranger, who turned to look at him. Jongin briefly forgot what he was going to say because his eyes were so _bright_. The lightest grey, complimenting his skin and giving his gaze an involuntarily piercing attribute. It was captivating.

Before the stranger could brush him off, Jongin held out the box.

"Here," he said, nervously excited. "For you."

As expected, the other furrowed his brows just a little and looked down at the boy with a distinct hesitation that could just as well have been disgust. White votaries were anything but easily trusting, and Jongin had to elaborate a bit more to get anywhere.

"I kept seeing you around, and this is a little present for appreciating our store so much," he said, putting all his emotions into a smile he hoped looked harmless and charming. The other moved his hand as if to take it, but hesitated again.

"I never bought anything," he said quietly, his voice unexpectedly soft. Jongin dismissed him with a shake of his head.

"Appreciation has weight, too. Please accept it."

Their eyes met and the stranger seemed to search for permission before he finally took the box, breathed out a quiet 'Thank you' and turned around to leave. Some people might consider this behaviour rude, but Jongin knew better than to push someone who firmly believed in privacy and isolation.

 

That afternoon, he hummed a song to himself as he pushed open the squeaky wooden door to enter the tiny courtyard leading up to his home. He was greeted by the sight of daisies and buttercups but no more than that, so he entered the house to his right, calling through the homey place.

"Kyungsoo!" he said, looking around the clean living room, peeking around a corner into his kitchenette. "Kyungsoo?"

"Why are you yelling? If I was here, I'd clearly hear you on a lower volume, too."

There, bent over half-cut fruits, stood the only other person with black hair Jongin had ever encountered. His familiar, violet orbs blinked up at him with an exasperation Jongin knew he didn't mean.

"He took my present, Kyungsoo!" Jongin happily announced, and the other blinked.

"Oh? What did you end up making?"

But Jongin was already skipping up the old stairs to his own home to get changed and help Kyungsoo to earn his dinner.

  
  


* * *

 

The box was really simple, but Sehun liked simple things. He had patiently waited all day until his work at the temple was done and he had returned home in the early evening. There was no denying that his curiosity had grown over the day, but he had sworn to himself that he'd only open it in a moment of peace and solitude. What a strange incident, getting a present by a stranger. Then again, the stranger was of Black belief, and these people tended to be a little... rowdy and unpredictable. Not as rowdy as the Red folk, but still far away from people like Sehun, mentally. Now Sehun wasn't in any way hostile against them, but he couldn't deny that they made him a little wary. Also he might have met a few rather obnoxious people of that group before. Still, this stranger had gifted him something, just like that.

Sehun slowly sat down on his bed, sinking into the soft mattress - he wasn't one for luxury but that was the one he allowed himself to have - and looked down at the box. It had a simple fastening mechanism and when he snapped it open, he didn't immediately know what he was looking at. On a blue, shiny satin cushion sat something that looks like jewelry. He saw a gear, bronze and pleasingly round to his eye and no wider than his thumb nail. Over the inner circle of the gear, thin white thread had been spanned to make it look like the tiniest dreamcatcher. There was even a small, white bead resting in the center. When he carefully plucked the piece out of the box to further investigate it, a thin chain was dangling along and he finally understood that he was looking at an earring. The gear was supposed to sit at his ear, while a little stone was dangling from the chain, milky white and in the vague form of a teardrop. It was definitely unique-looking and finely crafted. Sehun got to his feet and pulled a veil on his walls aside to reveal a mirror, tucking the fabric over the silver hooks holding it up. The chain turned out to be the perfect length for the accessory not to get too close to his shoulders and potentially get tangled with his robes. Sehun tilted his head, watching the stone follow gravity's laws, felt the cool, smooth stone touch his neck. Someone would gift him something like this, without any second thoughts? That would be curious indeed...

  
  


* * *

 

Jongin didn't work early the following days, and it took a while until he caught sight of him again. It was on a sunny morning, the day of Neptune, when Jongin looked up and the white he saw from the corner of his eyes turned out to be the handsome, raven-haired stranger. He was torn between staring at him and pretending not to have noticed him. There was nothing he really expected from him - he just didn't want to have possibly ruined his enjoyment over their shop window. As fate would have it, their gazes met at some point, with Jongin flightily looking down at the workbench and back up, losing the fight against curiosity. The stranger stood in front of the window and only gave him a light nod. As he proceeded to roam the decorations in the window, eyes locked on the eternally moving mechanical dog, he casually tucked his hair behind his right ear. The white stone was blinking in the light, Jongin saw that much even from afar.

Jongin stopped staring after that but surely, the other saw the grin he was trying so hard to keep at bay. On his whole way to the temple that day, Jongin kept thinking of the stranger, and how surreally ethereal he looked. For some reason, he was itching to get to know the person behind the few soft, polite words he had spoken that day. Maybe he would talk to Kyungsoo about it later, even when the other's reaction would likely only consist of a mere eyeroll and the simple suggestion to just "Do it, you'll end up doing it, anyway".

Jongin walked deep into the temple, his steps light on the shining, dark grey marmor, following the little canals in the ground that allowed the water to perpetually flow through the whole temple. As a child, he had jumped over the tiny sewers, and people hadn't scolded him for it, as long as he didn't pollute the water. Yes, even as a child Jongin had known that this was the belief he wanted to be a part of. Not as rowdy as the followers of Feronia, not as reclusive and no-fun as the White or Blue folks, not as intimidating as the fellowship of Bía, which Kyungsoo was a part of, and Jongin wasn't even going to consider the infamous, yellow-eyed followership of Poine. Sure, Jongin had been scolded at some points, had learnt lessons and studied hard, but at no point had he ever felt unwelcome in the temple. Like so many young apprentices, he had lived on the temple grounds before and this place had never stopped being his home.

There was some time left before he was needed, so Jongin sought out his favourite spot in the temple - a rather nondescript, winding hallway, where he took a seat on the floor, half-hidden by stony stairs. Next to him, water streamed down from a higher level and hit the slightly widened canal on the ground to continue its journey towards the many entrances of the temple. The sound was calming and when Jongin slowly sank into the familiar, meditative state, it would be the most wonderful sensation to him.

He got comfortable and started to really _breathe_. He went through his routine, without really feeling the routinary aspect, because his mind was taking a step back to metaphorically stretch out its arms. He was starting to feel everything that would otherwise either be buried or step in front in the form of a conscious thought. Now, everything was an equal part in a constant stream flowing through Jongin. He started close to himself, focused on all the aspects surrounding him, before he eventually moved on to the temple, to Kyungsoo, his master, a little further away, bit by bit. Even the stranger went to focus for a moment, until Jongin finally felt the sky and ground and all the people on it equally. Felt pain and suffering, but also joy and hope. Letting them all in was what he believed in. There was no need to let anything stay, to let it forcefully make an imprint, but he kept his eyes open to _see_. See and feel as far and as much as he could.

When Jongin opened his eyes a while later, they were a shade darker than usual. Horme's blessings were usually the strongest right after he meditated, and while his mind slowly rearranged itself to function more actively and basic-driven, Jongin internally thanked the deity for its generosity. Everything always felt a little different afterwards. Not only because he had given his mind time to breathe, but also because of the blessing. Everything felt a little softer, but not in a drunk way. Everything just made a little more sense, because Jongin saw further. When he walked down the hallway, the ancient floral carving wasn't a mysterious artefact anymore, because Jongin _felt_ its origins. He felt loyalty, grace, care and a tinge of frustration, as it sat in most artworks, but ultimately, pride. Everything around him had a _place_ , and Jongin could feel along the threads leading from past to future. When a fellow brother walked up to him, Jongin felt the distress before he opened his mouth.

"Jongin... do you have a moment? I wouldn't wanna intrude on you, but..." Yifan trailed off, looking wary and hesitant. Yifan was older than Jongin but only joined the brotherhood recently. It was difficult for him to open up since he was naturally introverted and more on the timid side, but he was trying diligently. Jongin liked him for that and maybe it was a mix of sympathy and a sense of protection, for he saw a bit of himself in him.

"Of course. What's bothering you?"

Yifan looked around, as if to confirm that no one was around. Then he lowered his already deep voice to a murmur.

"I was praying today, and it felt... strange," he said vaguely. Jongin didn't have to ask.

"Strange in a bad way," he simply stated and Yifan nodded.

"Do you have... any idea what went wrong?" he asked, and the guilt was obvious even to unblessed people. It was kind of a taboo, asking fellow brothers for insight, since you ought to earn that privilege yourself. Jongin saw no reason to deny him though, and casually placed a palm on his shoulder, making it look like platonic friendliness, in case anyone passed by.

_A drop of white. An open wound. Sourness, the wound pulling itself together, a burning pain._

Jongin's grip went tight, and his smile vanished. It was gone as quickly as it had flashed up.

Yifan was searching his gaze, so he put up a comforting expression and rubbed his shoulder before letting go.

"I'm not too sure how to interpret what I saw," he honestly said. "How about we meet up around dawn tomorrow and have a session together?"

 

As he walked around the temple grounds, he still pondered the odd insight he had gotten. It did feel ominous, like a bad sign. He really liked Yifan and hoped that the issue was going to be clearer the next day. They'd go for an active way of meditation and see what happened. Maybe something had really shaken him up without him realizing. For now, Jongin was needed elsewhere though, so he stored these images away for later.

There were countless ways of devoting yourself to the beliefs of Horme, and passive meditation was actually something only the more skilled people practiced. Beginners preferred to approach this way of living more directly, maybe even playfully, and there was certainly no shame in that. Jongin himself was a passionate dancer. Dancing was the activity that helped him open up, release and express his emotions, get a better feeling for his own body. He still loved to dance, and last year, the high priest had suggested him to teach others. Word had gotten around quickly and the dance sessions were highly popular. Now, Jongin taught dance on every day of Neptune, an hour before noon in a smaller hall on the Southern parts of the temple grounds. As it was in their nature, their whole temple grounds were accessible at all times of the day. It was not uncommon for people of all beliefs to come together for festivities on their grounds. The dance classes, too, were very mixed with people of various backgrounds. When Jongin entered the small, but high hall with the mirrors pushed up against the wall, Chanyeol was already warming himself up, standing purposefully far away from the rest while a young Horme follower was playing around with the grammophon. Jongin smiled into the room and smoothly took the reigns. He wasn't naturally authoritative in any way, but that wasn't needed with everyone being there out of their own free will.

They began with a simple warm up phase in which everyone did what they felt like, going over old routines or simply stretching; anything that made them loosen up a bit as Jongin put on an energetic song to accompany them. In one corner, Yixing and Minseok were peacefully stretching themselves, exchanging pleasantries as they usually did. Having followers of Aceso, the human-like goddess of healing, was rather rare, but with two people as influential as Minseok and Yixing, other members seemed inclined to follow. Both their eyes were of a clear blue at all times, a bit too vibrant to be born like this, but they couldn't be more different. Minseok was almost intimidating to strangers with his cool, composed behaviour while Yixing emitted a certain softness and warmth that put people at ease. Overall, they barely needed any supervision by Jongin - they knew what they wanted and were already very in tune with their bodies. He chose to walk over to Chanyeol instead, who was getting bugged by an attention-seeking Baekhyun, a third Aceso follower, and the liveliest of them all.

"Are you going to sign up for the colosseum again this moon cycle? I wasn't planning on attending, but if you participate, I'll make sure to show up and cheer you on with all my might-"

"To the point that he gets distracted and beaten by tripping over his own feet?" Jongin joked dryly, and the other's eyes met his through the mirror. While Baekhyun had the decency to look guilty over being a distraction, Chanyeol turned around with a wide smile.

"Jongin! I practiced at home and managed the last routine! I even worked on my expression!"

To be very honest, Jongin liked the way his brows furrowed in concentration the most, because it was a perfectly genuine mirror of his feelings. But if he managed to gain so much control and routine that he was able to mind his expression, that would be a big step for flighty, flighty Chanyeol. As if to prove this point, Jongin noticed the red glimmer in his left eye. For some reason, only one of Chanyeol's eyes adjusted to the color of his deity, and by now, he had come to accept that. Jongin had never thought anything into it, mostly because people like Chanyeol were the heroes amongst children and a little fluke like that shouldn't take away from it. Many little kids wanted to grow up to become a fiery representative of Feronia, believing in passion and activity. In turn, they were blessed by fire, which only added to their flashy nature. Feronia followers were loud, unrestrained and could be a blessing and a curse, just as fire itself. To Jongin, Chanyeol was the most Feronian person he had ever met - with high energy, curiosity for anything and everything, and the will to achieve great things. Sadly, he was very impatient, bad at actually managing his energy, and had a hard time focusing, which was precisely the reason why he had started to attend Jongin's lessons. It was fun, seeing people of so many different beliefs come together, and with Jongin himself still feeling the reverberations of the blessing running through his veins, the cocktail of different motivations and emotions was elating.

 

People were already shuffling out, with Chanyeol repeating the steps _just one last time_ (and Baekhyun watching him), when Jongin overheard Yixing mentioning Soter, the white deity. He thought of the drop of white he had seen earlier and fell into step with him and Minseok. The others would find their way out on their own.

"What did you say about Soter? If you don't mind me asking?" Jongin nosily piped up, and there was a flash of hesitation on their faces as they exchanged a quick glance.

 _White, disorientation_.

It passed before Jongin could actually feel dizzy. It was considered a bit intrusive, gathering impressions like that, but it wasn't really something Jongin could hold back on. It would be like trying not to see with open eyes. Both Yixing and Minseok seemed to have come to the conclusion that hiding things from someone with eyes as dark as Jongin's was pointless, anyway, but they didn't have much more to offer than Jongin's vision.

"Apparently, something odd is happening among the Soter brotherhood," Minseok stated quietly, unmistakably telling Jongin not to spread these information. "But you know how they are. They could hide just about anything and wouldn't call for help if it would save their lives."

"We don't know exactly what's going on," Yixing amended, "so it might not be a big issue in the first place. Let's just hope they'll resolve it and recover quickly."

Jongin smiled, but his instincts were tingling. This was the second odd vision he'd had that day...

 

"I'm not going to say 'It will be fine', but it most definitely won't get worse if you stop worrying for now," Kyungsoo reasoned as Jongin dramatically flopped down to lie on his back, the carpet just soft enough to make it comfortable. Now his back was turned to Kyungsoo, who was sipping on his tea. He had also lit some candles to provide not only light, but a warm and cozy atmosphere. Jongin could feel himself getting sleepier by the minute. He blearily squinted at a particularly big, wine red candle that faintly smelled of something he couldn't identify. Maybe sandalwood?

"But what if time is running out?" he asked.

"Of what?"

"I don't know," Jongin hummed, thoughts slowly wandering away from the white and towards Kyungsoo, who was such a comforting presence, despite everything. Despite them only living in the same house for a few moon cycles, despite Kyungsoo being a highly loyal follower of Bía, which showed in his perpetually violet orbs and tacit nature. The violet and black factions didn't generally get along well, but there had never been any issues like that between them. Bía was the deity of strength, and her votaries went through an infamously harsh training, both physically and mentally. After hearing the details, Jongin wasn't all that surprised that those who grew close to the deity ended up being people of few words, though Kyungsoo had often insisted that it went back to enlightenment and security instead of suppression. Yes, things were great between them, yet Jongin flinched when a hand touched his shoulder, wandering over his upper back surprisingly gently.

"Then reserve your worries for when you have a clearer target," Kyungsoo said, voice low and smooth as warm honey drizzling over him. Kyungsoo didn't usually touch him, and it prickled wherever his palm wandered, rubbing his skin through the thin fabric. Jongin would have asked questions or reveled in the fluttering aspect of this a bit more, but he was already sleepy and the faintly scented candle with the hypnotizingly dancing flame in combination with the palm dragging along his back quickly lulled him to sleep. Kyungsoo was a rather tidy person, and yet he allowed Jongin to sleep on his floor until he himself went to sleep and sent Jongin up and into his own bed.

  
  


* * *

 

Nothing unusual happened during his and Yifan's session and Jongin's days went by as if nothing had happened in the first place. It was a weird feeling, as if he had gotten a glimpse of something bigger, only to avert his eyes and live in his cozy little bubble again. But what was he to do? Jongin pondered this as he scrubbed the shop. The mysterious follower of Soter hadn't made another appearance yet, and Jongin was tempted to walk by their temple more often, hoping to catch a glimpse at him. He had just begun to halfheartedly re-decorate the window again, simply to have some sort of occupation after all the cleaning he had done, when the very same person he may have thought a bit too much about stepped in front of the window. He looked right at him and Jongin felt awkward, caught in this position of half-hanging in the window as he had tried to move a string of gears that had slipped into the farthest corner, where it bothered the mechanical dog. The other looked visibly conflicted. Jongin smiled at him and waved, trying not to look as embarrassed as he felt. He was probably covered in streaks of dirt - which he didn't usually mind, but it was hard not to be self-conscious with how clean and unblemished the other looked (which was kind of ridiculous in itself, considering the big, dirty mess of a town they lived in).

The man with the bright eyes looked towards the door of the shop - causing his earring to blink in the light and Jongin's heart to preen just a little bit - and then Jongin noticed his hand doing the thing again, where it moved but stopped abruptly. This time, the conflict seemed a bit harder than last time with the way his eyes closed and he obviously inhaled deeply. Jongin would be all-too ready to step forward himself, but when he managed to free himself of all the dangling decoration, the bell was already tingling the quietest he had ever heard it, when the stranger pushed the door open slowly.

"Hello and welcome," Jongin said, aimlessly patting his clothes to remove as much dirt as possible. "If you need anything specific, I'm here - but feel free to just take a look around."

His mind was running on autopilot as he was distracted just how out of place the tall, almost ethereal man looked in between all the gears, toys and overall clutter. He didn't appear to be bothered by it, but his eyes remained locked on Jongin.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked, words almost tumbling out. There were so many obvious signs that he was uncomfortable, or at the very least very nervous, and yet it was hard to really accept the fact with how stoic his expression was. Jongin cocked his head to the side and shrugged.

"Sure, why not? I'm not exactly busy and the master is out, so... nobody here to scold me," he said with a small, playful grin. The fact that the other remained serious wasn't all that surprising, but it didn't help relieving Jongin's nerves.

"I actually need advice," he said quietly, and Jongin liked to be reminded of how soft his voice was. That aside, his curiosity was piqued.

"I realize how rude this is," he added quickly, eyes lowering to the ground as he absently rubbed his lower arm, "but you're the only one I could possibly ask. It's your every right to send me away, I just..."

He trailed off, and Jongin tilted his head subtly, to try and interpret his expression, but it remained unreadable. It seemed like he just couldn't decide on how to end this sentence, either, so Jongin decided to put him out of his misery, storing his eager, selfish curiosity aside.

"Sure. I may not be the first choice when it comes to getting advice in any category, really, but try me. I'll do my best," he promised, wondering whether he as being a bit too enthusiastic. The other looked over his shoulder and scanned the store, hesitated a last time before finally lifting his lower arms to present them to Jongin, with the inside up. Then he tugged up his sleeves. Jongin forgot to breathe for a second.

"Do you know what those mean?"

Along his snowy white skin, scars were scattered, criss-crossing up to his elbow. Some of them looked fresh, the skin irritated around them, others were halfway healed. All of them were of a deep black.


	2. Onyx

 

Sehun had no idea what he would have pictured the boy who had previously introduced himself as Jongin to live like. He had pictured Horme followers to all live in the biggest messes - to be completely honest he was a bit messy himself, but that was a total exception among his peers and Sehun tried hard to keep it at bay.

He hadn't imagined Jongin's home to look the way it did, and yet it seemed to fit the diligent, warm boy from the repair shop. While Jongin immediately left him to get food and drinks, Sehun was left to carefully take a seat by a small workbench. Jongin's room had many corners, angled walls and windows on almost every wall, with two of them being open. But the thing that really got Sehun's attention was the ceiling. There were threads and ropes spanned across the ceiling in all colors and different levels of tension. It seemed like Jongin was some sort of human magpie, gathering everything he deemed shiny or interesting to fix it in the giant spiderweb above their heads. There were strings of wind chimes, feathers, some metal things that looked like they could have been from the store and even strings of little stones that were woven together with leather bands. When a breeze gently brushed through the construct and the lighter objects started to move, Sehun even caught a glimpse of colorful glass blinking when the light hit it right. The sound was... interesting. A little odd, definitely nothing he had ever heard before. As if all the inanimate objects were alive.

His train of thought came to a halt when Jongin stumbled inside, balancing a tablet with two cups and what looked like pieces of omelette and vegetables.

"I'm sorry, this is all we have to offer at the moment. My friend and I usually cook together around sundawn and these are leftovers from this morning... oh, but they're still good, I assure you that," he rambled, and Sehun just nodded, hoping that would count as a proper reply. The entire way to Jongin’s house had been suffering from a very one-sided conversation that was mostly Jongin asking basic questions and Sehun answering only when he felt like it. After all, he didn't know this person, and the issue that forced him to step forward was rather sensitive, too. He had barely mentioned anything other than his name and how deep his belief ran, since it might be of importance.

When Jongin placed the tablet on the workbench (his tea on the nightstand) and nonchalantly plopped down on his bed, Sehun was already regretting his decision to ask him. What was he even expecting from the other?

"Okay, so.. when did they start to show up? Now that we're alone," Jongin began as he got comfortable, reaching for his tea. Sehun straightened up a bit. No more small talk. He got this.

"They have been showing up for a few days only but," he began, hesitated only a little before deciding that he had to give him more information than that, "it has been happening to others for awhile now. They appear during and after a strong prayer. I know the higher ups are looking into it, but I know no one would approach the fellowship of Horme, because..."

He trailed off, regretting his choice of words. Whatever he would say now, it would make things look bad.

"Because you're prideful and we're not on the best of terms, I get it," Jongin dismissed him and Sehun couldn't _not_ raise his eyebrow.

" _We're_ the prideful ones?"

Jongin was smart enough to meet him half-way.

"Both of our people are," he corrected himself. "So they appear when you pray?"

Sehun let it slide because he _was_ here with a request.

"Yes. Nobody knows why this is happening. Did you ever hear or see anything like this?"

Jongin shook his head immediately, and Sehun's heart plummeted.

"No, never. Horme never harmed any of us. Even those who are a disgrace to Horme are punished by nothing but ignorance from our deity."

"Are you saying we are a disgrace to your beliefs?" Sehun asked, and Jongin immediately back-pedaled.

"No! I'm saying that those of us who get lost on the path of opening are not physically punished. Neither is our blood black. You really are quite sensitive," he finally added, seemingly getting tired of Sehun's attitude. "I don't know what you think of me, my deity, or my people, but I'm not trying to offend you here. If I thought lowly of you, I wouldn't have offered my help in the first place, right?"

Sehun inhaled deeply and looked down at the hands orderly resting on his lap. Jongin was right. Sehun had to get over his prejudices if he expected the other to help. To be very honest, many of his fellow votaries looked down on the dark-eyed people, but Sehun himself? He truly believed in Soter, in defense and protection, and his distance was only him trying to protect himself from a possibly hostile force - not because he thought of them as naturally hostile, but because of the circumstances and subdued tension that always lingered between the two. Sehun himself actually pitied them sometimes, like he had a certain sense of pity for Jongin right now. Because no matter how difficult Sehun decided to be, Jongin's belief would naturally keep him open and exposed to it. There was not really a way for him to draw back, to put up a wall and distance himself, so Sehun swallowed both his pride and wariness to duck his head.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I've never really talked to a Horme follower, so I'm just nervous, I suppose. I'm really sorry."

Jongin smiled immediately, and it was almost off-putting how easily he accepted it.

"It's okay. You wanna show me the scars again?" he asked, a small, friendly hand gesture inviting Sehun over. He followed suit, unsurely standing before him, tugging at his sleeves. Jongin patted his bed and again, Sehun followed suit, almost mechanically.

"There's no need to be nervous about this though," Jongin assured him as he turned towards him. "You won't feel a thing."

Sehun nodded faintly. It was a bit scary, letting one of Horme's followers look inside him. He didn't understand what exactly they did and how much Jongin would see. He wouldn't want him to see any embarrassing secrets, like how captivating he thought Jongin was.

Across him, Jongin had closed his eyes, breathing evenly. His expression spoke of concentration, but not necessarily tension. So followers of Horme looked just as peaceful and calm as them when they meditated. Who knew?

When Jongin opened his eyes a few minutes later, they were a shade darker than before, but still clear and awake. Sehun was the one who blinked, who looked at the small smile instead as he offered his bare arms. The smile relaxed into a more neutral expression as Jongin grasped one of his arms almost carefully. His fingers were warm, and even though Sehun didn't see it, he felt a minor imperfection in his nails scrape across his skin. He almost regretted looking down at his arms because not only were the scars ugly and concerning, no, the contrast between Jongin's sun-kissed skin and his own was terribly interesting. Jongin's thumb wandered over the crust of a fresh scar, and his brows furrowed together, his unfocused eyes squinting as if he was trying to get a better look at something.

Sehun's breath hitched when the thumb pressed in a bit stronger, not because it hurt, but because it was unexpected. The pressure vanished and Jongin exhaled as he softly ran his fingers over every single scar, as if licking a wound. Sehun was probably imagining or misinterpreting all of this. His eyes rested on Jongin's face, trying to get a feeling of what he was seeing, whether it was good or bad. The other's face, however, betrayed nothing but concentration. When he had touched every scar at least once, when Sehun's arms felt needlessly tingly and sensitive, Jongin drew back to only cup the back of his arm, leaving the scars to the open air. For some reason, that small gesture made Sehun feel more exposed than before, with the lack of warm skin covering it.

"I saw your temple," Jongin said contemplatively, voice so much more quiet than before. His gaze was wandering around as he gathered his thoughts.

"There was blinding white, too," he added, soft and probing as if he was coaxing the picture to the surface of his mind, "it was liquid and suffocating. Pushing and pushing, until it was burnt and only a hot, black crust was left behind."

Sehun blinked. He had been a fool to assume that Jongin would just see a clear answer, but this was way more cryptic than he had anticipated. As if he'd read his thoughts, Jongin sheepishly bit his lip.

"Not much, I know, but... your mind is really closed up. It's hard to see anything."

This came as a surprise to Sehun. Of course he was aiming to be closed up and in full control of what people got to see of him, but he hadn't known that it actually worked against Horme people trying to look inside of him. For a second, he felt foolish pride for his deity being so strong and good to them, but then he reprimanded himself to stay modest. Not to mention that it was more of an inconvenience in this special case.

"Can you maybe... try to open up? Just for this? I'm just looking at the scars, I promise," Jongin said, and Sehun scoffed and finally pulled his arm out of Jongin's grasp to cover it with the sleeves again.

"Easy for you to say," he muttered, "how would you handle it if I told you to be more closed up and less of a sponge that lets anything in or out?"

The other looked startled, but not yet angry.

"A sponge?"

"It's what people compare you with, sometimes," Sehun said, rubbing the fabric into his arms to get rid of the faint tingling, "People like you absorb anything around them and allow it to become a part of you."

"That's not quite right," Jongin argued calmly, albeit a little unhappily. "Just because you allow any impression in doesn't mean you allow anything to stay."

"We don't believe that humans are capable of choosing all the time," Sehun contered, "Some things _will_ have an impact on your soul, make a dent and stay, whether you want them to or not and- why are we even arguing again?" he ended with a frustrated sigh. Jongin rolled his eyes, but his exasperation seemed to be directed at no one in particular.

"Clash of natures," he said simply, shrugging with one shoulder before he reached for his tea again. "Anyway, back to the scars. We can always pit our beliefs against each other when we're out of problems to solve."

For the first time that day, Sehun felt himself crack an involuntary smile as he huffed. Jongin was such an oddball. There was no predicting how he'd take anything and where he'd jump next. He licked his lips and stared into the sea of objects dangling from the ceiling.

"Our temple, white liquid, forceful white being burnt to black," he repeated, and then they tapered off into a moment of silence.

"Maybe it's on me, too," Jongin said out of nowhere. "Maybe I should really take my time next time, sit down for a real meditative praying session, maybe try when your prayers lie behind the longest. Or maybe we should start with what we have and visit your temple, the place I've seen?"

"Outsiders aren't allowed in the temple," Sehun stated immediately. Jongin pouted.

"Not even for this? No exception at all?"

"No."

"Can't you explain the situation and-"

"Definitely not," Sehun cut him off, shaking his head. "The high priestess will give me a lecture if she finds out that I came to you and revealed what she's been trying to hide from the world with all her might."

With a groan, Jongin placed his now empty cup on the nightstand.

"Alright, then I guess you gotta try to open up a little for me to get a closer look," he stated with a tinge of stubbornness. Sehun hesitated. It was kind of an outrageous and mildly terrifying prospect, but he couldn't expect even a devoted follower of Horme to look through a metaphorical wall.

"But... how?" he finally asked, feeling already guilty at the idea of betraying his belief, if only for a moment. Jongin thought hard about it and for a moment, Sehun thought they would both come up empty, give up, and make it an embarrassing memory that only happened because Sehun opened up to a stranger.

"I don't think I know you well enough to answer that on the spot," Jongin finally pondered out loud, tilting his head to one side as he all but assessed Sehun. "I don't know whether it helps but we have this weekly dance class?"

"Really? How would that change anything? I already dance," Sehun said, leaning back on his palms a little, to alleviate the strain of sitting too rigid and cramped up. Jongin seemed genuinely delighted at the reply.

"You do? Then you should come just for fun, I'd love to see it - if you're alright with it, that is."

"Only if you think of better methods," Sehun almost commanded, if just to mask that secretly, the idea of doing just that filled him with a bunch of contradicting feelings he needed time to sort out.

"Alright. I will. Should we also pay your temple a visit?" Jongin asked, and before Sehun could cut him off again, he added "From the outside, nothing more. I don't wanna break in and steal your secrets or anything."

"None but one," Sehun replied with another tiny smile, but nodded.

"Okay. We'll see how it goes and what we can do. Should we decide on another time to meet?"

 

When Sehun insisted on finding his way out alone shortly after, he hadn't expected to see Jongin's friend downstairs. He stepped down the slightly creaky, wooden stairs and saw him sitting on the sofa out of the corner of his vision and turned his head to find violet orbs staring at him, and intensely so. To be honest, he looked far from what Sehun would have imagined a good friend of Jongin would look like - he was short, with wide eyes that could have looked harmless and childlike, if not for the current glare, and his hair as dark as his, though with a tinge of brown where Sehun's was black as ink. The other looked him up and down and didn't even try to be subtle. It felt more invasive than Jongin trying to look into his soul, and that was something to think about.

"Hello."

His voice was deeper than Sehun's own or Jongin's, the simple word hanging in the air heavily. Sehun ducked his head to nod in reply. His own expression may be trustily stoic but it would be a lie to say he wasn't intimidated. For some reason, he got a rather cold vibe from Kyungsoo, despite him being a follower of Bía, who were considered very close to those of Soter. Maybe he didn't like strangers in his home, which would be understandable. Maybe he didn't like strangers near Jongin.

When Sehun fumbled with the door, Kyungsoo waited a few painful seconds before telling him how to unlock it, and Sehun welcomed the cool air soothing his burning cheeks.  
  
  


* * *

 

"Did it get worse? Did it start to hurt?"

Those were the first things Jongin asked a couple days later, when Sehun entered the shop with a bit more confidence than last time. This time, they both knew where they stood. He was still a bit wary because this was supposed to _open him up_ a little, though Jongin didn't specify how exactly. It seemed like he just wanted to talk while he was manning the shop alone once more, with Sehun orderly sitting at the counter like a customer. He didn't like to feel useless though, so he bugged Jongin until he got a few metal toys and parts to polish. It kept his hands occupied. He was dreading the upcoming questions, fearing they'd make him uncomfortable, but so far, this wasn't the case. His scars were still there, and to be honest, Sehun got a little careful with how deep he sank into Soter's belief and mindset. He was going to take it easy. Just for now, just until the issue was solved.

"What's the thing that made you come back to see the store window?" Jongin asked as he cleaned the work bench. Sehun took his time polishing a certain nook and Jongin waited.

"I don't know. Everything? It looked like a child's wondrous dream, with how it shined and moved.”

"Even with all the parts scattered around?" Jongin asked, looking up as he kept swiping the counter. Sehun nodded.

"Yes. Dreams have a way of being strange, and maybe even a little scary, don't you think?"

Jongin hummed.

"If you put it like that... I suppose so? But I rarely really remember my dreams so I couldn't be too sure."

"Maybe it's a blessing by your mind, smudging them a little so you only remember the things that won't upset you."

"You have an interesting way of looking at things," Jongin said, giving him a smile before moving on to one of the shelves fixed at the ceiling. Sehun felt his lips tug into the faintest smile, but he didn't know what to say and instead of more questions from Jongin, it turned silent for a while. It gave him time to think, though he'd already spent a good amount of time thinking about Jongin ever since he left his home. He wasn't nearly as aggressively invasive as he had pictured Horme followers to be, though he was most certainly different and direct, albeit mindful of the borders he couldn't see, but assumed to be there. It was rather refreshing.

"You know, about the scars," Sehun quietly said, fingers moving to a stop around the dirty cloth. Jongin hummed as he kept rearranging objects Sehun couldn't see from where he sat.

"They whisper that it's the doing of your deity," he said lowly, watching Jongin's reaction. "They don't say it out loud, but they think it's out to kill us."

The sounds of metal being moved around stopped... and picked up again.

"And do you believe that?" Jongin asked. Sehun couldn't see his face, but his voice was perfectly calm. He still shook his head before he replied.

"I don't know," he finally said, vowing to be honest. Open. He observed Jongin's posture tensing up.

"It really is telling that the scars are black," Sehun said, and when a disappointed and dusty-looking Jongin appeared in his vision, he ventured on. "But we are mere humans with poor senses. We don't know what's going on. And Horme has never proven to be a vengeful, angry deity. If it was actually angry at us, then there has to be something we are doing wrong," Sehun softly ended, hoping not to upset the other again. Jongin blinked, features relaxing instantly as the crease between his brows was smoothened out.

"Thank you for having that much faith. Let's just hope it's nothing that runs this deep."

"Yes."

"Maybe it's just some crazy person who's hexing you guys," Jongin guessed, and when Sehun huffed in disbelief, he got indignant.

"What? You were all flowery words and imagination earlier and - you're cold reason?"

"We've always been friends of reason," Sehun replied, as if reading from an internally memorized poem. "Reason is universal, and there is no need to get personal if you can-"

"Yeah, yeah," Jongin cut him off, allowing his hands to quickly run through Sehun's hair, who was stunned silent in turn, " _We, us, our people_. I was talking about _you,_ silly."

"Why did you do that?" Sehun inquired, ignoring the weird, prickly feeling he had gotten from hasty fingers running through his hair, moving to ruffle over the top, only to cup the side of his head for an almost intimate second. Jongin shrugged, and went back to work surprisingly quickly.

"Because your hair is so dark. Everything else about you is white as snow and would stain if I touched it."

Silence. Then, "And maybe I wanted to touch it. Black hair is fascinating."

Sehun much rather liked the ordinary, pinkish hair of Jongin, but maybe that was just his Soter ego speaking. Or his confused mind.

"My clothing is already ruined beyond saving and has been since I stepped into this shop, really," he said dumbly, just to have said _something_ in return. Jongin laughed a little too loudly at that, apologizing airily.

"You know, a bit of color wouldn't harm you either way," he suggested, jumping off the little stool he'd been standing on. "You don't see me wearing black all day, every day."

"Not like I could tell with all that oil and stains," Sehun replied, both surprised and unsettled at how easy it was to talk casually to Jongin. It was like all his lessons and studies in the name of Soter had never even happened. What a disgrace. Still, he hadn't lied. Jongin didn't dress in a flashy way - his master would probably not approve of that, anyway - but he did wear multiple shades of brown, cream and dark fabrics that would probably only reveal their true color in the sunlight. Instead of flowing robes there were straps and little bags, practical cuts, and the terrible short sleeves that were poison to Sehun's attention span, forcefully pulling it to the smudges on Jongin's nicely toned arms.

"Oh! Will you look at who decided to pay us a visit!"

Sehun was ripped out of his reverie and craned his neck to see what Jongin was pointing at, but it was of no use at this angle. Whatever it was, it was in the corner behind the counter, and Jongin was squatting down.

"It's our cat," he said, and now Sehun was actually bending over the counter to try and catch a glimpse. He liked cats. Jongin got up and gestured for him to do the same.

"He's a bit shy, but he won't scratch or bite you, go on."

Sehun, who also had a fair amount of respect for animals, was hesistant, but ended up walking around the counter carefully. Every inch of wood to the right, left, and even the front was either a shelf or cupboard, and with all the parts and tools lying around, Sehun couldn't spot any fur at all.

"There, in the bottom left corner," Jongin helpfully said, gesturing into the darkness. "Next to the bronze pot."

Sehun slowly sank to his knees and made an indiscernible sound when hands suddenly grabbed his side and shoulder to pull him around. Before he could lash out, his back met the wood and Jongin was caging him in. The space was cramped at best, and yet Jongin managed to somehow climb into his lap, pushing his thighs in between Sehun's and the wall. Sehun was torn between being angry and aroused being caught off guard completely.

"Get off me you liar," he said unhappily, though he didn't make an actual move to push the other away - even if he were to try, the space really was limited and one of them would end up hitting his head. Jongin wasn't fazed in the least and actually dropped his body weight on Sehun, who bit his lip to maintain a stoic expression.

"Did I really lie though?" Jongin asked, and his eyes were dark, but also shining, in a way. "Maybe _you're_ the cat."

Sehun pretended not to be flustered and half-heartedly pushed at the other's shoulders, purposefully keeping his hands on the fabric.

"What are you trying to accomplish here?" he asked lowly. Jongin looped his arms around Sehun's neck without an ounce of shame.

"Getting you to open up a little," he replied easily, albeit a bit breathy. Maybe it would be okay not to struggle and enjoy the treacherous, exciting, tingling- Sehun blinked and averted his gaze as he caught himself thinking selfish, needy, dangerous things. This easily went against most of his ingrained ethics. Was he attracted to Jongin? God, yes. His weight was so real and anchoring, and the skin of his arms blazing hot against his neck. But he didn't know Jongin. He'd seen him a couple times, had barely talked to him last time, and now they were in this position. He didn't know this person and that meant trouble. Letting strangers get too close meant... opening yourself up to get hurt. But this was sort of the point, wasn't it?

"Someone could come in at any moment," he murmured, squirming just enough to feel Jongin's weight and suppress a shudder because how long had it been? Sehun was not one for casually sharing his bed, obviously, but that didn't mean he had _not_ missed this.

" _Oh no, what are we going to do?"_ Jongin asked softly, rhetorically, as he leaned in to mash his hot cheek against Sehun's before he scattered kisses along the side of his jaw, up to his ear. They were just as soft as his voice, probing and experimental. Testing the water, testing Sehun. And Sehun was fighting a lost battle and he knew it. And it wasn't just because his body was hyper sensitive and metaphorically crying for the pleasure. The reason why Sehun already knew he would let this happen was because of the way Jongin looked down at him as he played with Sehun's hair. It wasn't the look of someone who wanted to seduce him for a selfish reason, to get pleasure or dominance out of it. It surely wasn't love, either, but there was certainly _something_. Sehun couldn't define it but it was pure and genuine, something like excitement and wonder reflecting off his dark orbs and flushed cheeks. Jongin was so, so interesting and when his lips trailed down the column of Sehun's throat, he found himself leaning back to give him better access. Sehun's lips remained stubbornly, guiltily sealed but the way his eyes fluttered close was probably telling. He felt the tension in his shoulders to change colors into something more pleasant, fueling on his own excitement. The probably dirty wood that was digging into him all around should be anchoring him in the present, but for some reason, it only made him more bold, more aware of the fact that they were doing this right _here_ , and when he placed his hands on Jongin's hips, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to ground himself or Jongin, wanted to stop the other from rocking down on him so sinfully or silently lead him on. Either way, his own movements were getting less precise and controlled. One of his hands went between clasping the fabric and vaguely feeling along Jongin's sides while the other came to a rest on his thigh to feel the muscles working. Jongin was so exotic and different to him. Warm, sun-kissed and trained where Sehun was pale and kind of scrawny. Jongin certainly didn't seem to mind, judging by the way he nosed his way under Sehun's collar, humming in appreciation when Sehun allowed him that as well. By now, everything was warm and the slow but persistent pleasure was wearing Sehun down. It didn't feel like Jongin was attempting to reach a peak here, not at all. He seemed almost content grinding into him with a cat-like grace, and yet it started to become too much for Sehun to passively take. His breath was getting heavier and he blearily wondered what would happen if anyone were to actually walk in on them. Spurred on by that urgency, he grabbed Jongin's side to hold him down as he rolled his hips up, too hard and too clumsy. Jongin mewled in surprise and pleasure, the loudest sound he had made so far and it egged Sehun on just as much as the actual feeling of rough friction. He did it again, and again - it wasn't nearly as smooth or elegant as Jongin's moves had been, considering his cramped position, but seeing Jongin readily fall into it made him dizzy with want and admiration. The way he closed his eyes and threw his head back was beautiful and inviting, the way his hands blindly wandered over Sehun's upper body maddening, as he messily tried to get beneath the fabric and touch skin. Sehun couldn't stop the tiniest ' _ah_ ' to escape his lips when Jongin's hand wandered down instead, insistently exploring the spot where they rubbed against each other so, so well. With a firm hand in between Jongin's shoulder blades, Sehun pulled him close, and Jongin's back arched in reply. He buried his face in Sehun's neck, and whatever he was doing, it felt hot and tingling to Sehun, who cupped the back of his head as he rutted up harder, manhandling Jongin's free hand out of the way to hold it somewhere against his side. If it hurt, Jongin wasn't complaining, and Sehun drowned in the string of breathy, small sounds huffed into his ear as Jongin's moves got more rigid and he finally climaxed with a moan so small and yet so shameless that it tugged Sehun to follow along. Sehun swore his whole brain just blanked out for a beat and there was just pleasure, heat, and release. The realization of what they had done trickled into his mind slowly, as their movements slowed to a halt. Jongin's forehead was resting on Sehun's shoulders and both their breathing was laboured. Sehun felt soiled and sticky already, and the wooden edges around him probably left a multitude of bruises.

"What the hell," he finally asked, and hated how pathetically out of breath he sounded. Jongin just laughed. He felt it in the way he was shaking first. Just a soundless, breathy laugh. Sehun slapped his upper back weakly.

"I can't believe I did this," he murmured, and Jongin suddenly sat up, his eyes still shining mischievously, and there was a dried tear in one corner that Sehun was itching to touch.

"That was unexpected," Jongin said with a small grin, and there was still no trace of smugness to be found. "I guess we're closer now, aren't we?"

Sehun gaped at him, and instead of getting angry or shoving Jongin away, he just grimaced at a subtle movement.

"United in grossness," he said with a tiny sigh. "What are we, needy teenagers? I don't even have a spare set of clothes."

He just kept talking to mask how vulnerable and strange he felt. Strange because he had just done something impulsive and intimate like this with a near stranger, but also strange because there was no immediate punishment in the form of humiliation or regret. It all seemed so _easy_ when Jongin clambered off him and they argued over whose legs have suffered more, when he smiled and promised to get him a spare set of clothes from the back. Despite vowing to open up to Jongin, Sehun went to the temple to pray that night, hoping to rearrange the parts that Jongin had scrambled just a little.

 

* * *

 

"Everything seems so deserted," Jongin wondered out loud, and Sehun shot him a scolding look, but replied nonetheless in his usually quiet voice.

"That's because most people pray in the evening, don't you know that much?" he asked as they walked down a street adjacent to the high walls of the temple complex. Jongin shook his head and tugged the white robes further up to cover his head. It was as if he felt exposed simply for his dark eyes and skin standing out against his borrowed, snowy white robes. It was a tad ironic that now Jongin was wearing Sehun's clothes. He dearly hoped his clothes smelled nice and his own scent on them was bearable. Shaking the odd thought off, Sehun slapped Jongin's hand away from the hood he was wearing.

"You're only making yourself look suspicious," he explained, and when he watched Jongin brush his hair back instead, he sighed. "And your appearance doesn't make you any more suspicious. Look at me, my hair is black as a moonless night, and yet it's all good."

He didn't mention how as a kid, he had felt self-conscious himself, since that lay long in the past.

"Why do you pray so late though?" Jongin asked, switching topics as he tended to do, how Sehun had noticed.

"Because in the evening, you tend to be more emotional. That's a good time to heal and and come to terms with everything."

Jongin hummed, his attention already half-way on the temple. Sehun caught his gaze lingering on Jongin's face a tad too long, and he mentally scolded himself for it. Nothing had really changed between them after that... hormonally-driven incident that had happened a few days earlier, and Sehun was determined for it to stay that way. To his surprise, Jongin continued to make it oh so easy without any slip ups. He neither mentioned it, teased him or attempted to initiate anything similar. Sehun wondered whether he was using some psychological trick on him, because now he felt a little ridiculous whenever _he_ thought of it, and of possible repeats in the future. He shook the thoughts off for now (hopefully forever, but he knew his mind better than that), and watched Jongin walk down the street with one palm lying on the temple wall.

"It gives me a lot of impressions but... they're all so messy, I can't really interpret them," Jongin mumbled, and unbeknownst to him, Sehun hadn't been expecting anything, anyway. The street was deserted, even more so than usual. The day before, a few people had suffered from fresh cuts that ran so deep that they had to get medical attention at the temple of Aceso. Sehun's were still bearable, but he also tried to pray as little as possible, even if it was a dissatisfying feeling. Either way, people were getting uncomfortable and frightened, resulting in the desperate souls praying as late as possible. Sehun didn't mention a word until they passed by one of the least used entrances of the temple.

"Keep your head down," he muttered evenly, as he opened the massive door with one hand. At least Soter still loved him that much. Hopefully, they'd forgive the rude action he was about to do, too. Next to him, Jongin fidgeted with the loudest unasked questions Sehun had ever heard, but he complied when Sehun lead him inside by a hand on his upper back. It was a nice confirmation that Jongin really hadn't expected them to go inside, but Sehun had long accepted that they wouldn't get all that far if they didn't. Jongin had been right all along, and Sehun had taken the past days to make up his mind and come to the conclusion that he trusted Jongin enough on this. He closed the door behind them and Jongin immediately tugged on his robes.

"Sehun, look-" he whispered loudly, and Sehun was about to reprimand him when his gaze followed Jongin's finger to the vague silhouette of a person lying in a dark corner. Any word was caught in his throat just like his breath and the two quickly shuffled over to the person. It was a middle-aged man Sehun knew the face but not the name of, crumpled into the corner and clearly unconscious with no visible wounds. He knelt down to check his pulse and started breathing again when he found a very faint one. Jongin's hand came to view as the other reached out slowly, carefully, and in the semi-darkness, his eyes looked pitch black. He touched the man's chest, with tentative fingertips that flinched away before seeking contact again.

"The colosseum," he whispered, blinking and finally closing his eyes, "It's the colosseum-"

Footsteps echoed along the hallway and Sehun ripped the other up with no regard for his visions.

"Quick, they can't find you here-"

"What about the man?"

"They'll find him, _hurry_!" Sehun hissed, tugging Jongin along with his arm. They were half-way down a corridor when shocked voices told them the man had been found, and that they were searching for the source of the noise now. Sehun bit his lips and picked up his step. Just a little further and they could walk along the wall of the main hall to enter his room-

Jongin ripped himself free and Sehun wanted to cry in frustration.

"Where are you going?" he whispered angrily, and Jongin didn't even look back as he ran down a tiny, mostly unused hallway with Sehun on his heels.

"Looking for a hide out!" he whispered back as he attempted to open every door he passed by.

"You can't open any door here, not even I can open them-" Sehun argued when suddenly,Jongin managed just that and shot him a surprised look that must have been nothing against the stupor Sehun felt himself in for a brief moment. Then an angry voice called out for them and reality took over again. Sehun all but shoved Jongin in the room with one hand over his mouth as he closed the door as quietly as possible. He didn't know of anyone who had ever entered this particular room, so if they hadn't seen them-

Jongin made a tiny, muffled sound, and Sehun looked up to follow his gaze. The room wasn't very big - maybe five feet long and wide - and completely empty. A giant cross marred the wall they were now both facing. Like two deep cuts ripping open the stone, displaying black and white flesh and blood that ran down the wall in thick rivulets, staining the marble ground. One cut was black, the other white, and maybe Sehun was going insane, but the closer they inched, fingers intertwined, the more he felt like hearing it pulsate. Jongin seemed drawn to it, his eyes dark with an odd fascination and Sehun followed after him, mostly out of worry than curiosity. The thick liquid on the ground shimmered like metal as it reflected the weak light coming in from far above them. Again, Jongin reached out to touch, fingertips aiming right for the glistening center where black and white refused to mix. The moment he touched it, Jongin actually yelled out in pain as he flinched back, clenching his fingers.

"It hurts-" he pressed out, and Sehun was already pulling him back with an arm around his chest as he warily eyed the thing on the wall. Jongin didn't seem quite there with him and it unsettled him greatly. Then something else washed over him, feeling cool and slightly queasy.

"I feel something, Jongin," he said quietly, and the boy twisted out of his grasp to look at him, still clasping his burning hand.

"Your eyes are so bright," he whispered, looking in between Sehun and the cross, "what does that mean?"

Sehun suppressed a shudder and grabbed Jongin's wrist.

"It means we have to leave. _Right now_."

"But-"

" _Now_ ," Sehun hissed and ignored the way Jongin looked back at the cross. Jongin's deity might be able to grant him insight, but Sehun's _warned_ him. If he felt something, that meant danger. He ripped open the door, uncaring of who might see them, but there was nobody around. They ran down the corridor, taking a different route to avoid trouble and entering the main hall. The atmosphere was odd, with a few people being scattered around to pray, sitting or standing, and something surreal was hanging in the air, sweet and suffocating. Sehun swallowed hard and slowed down his steps to lead Jongin towards a small exit, feeling nervous, rushed and scared. How did they not feel it? He saw some shuffling, and then some older members seemed to finally notice, looking alarmed and confused. No one paid them a single look and the exit was so close-

It started with a crack, simple and not even particularly loud, but still deafening to Sehun. It felt like a strike of lightning, the edges traveling and piercing his heart that pulsed in pain, just once. Just as they looked up and Jongin's hood fell off his head again, just as everyone looked up... the gigantic windows cracked and broke as if giving way to immense pressure, and there were screams ringing through the hall as everyone cowered to protect themselves from the shards of glass raining down. Sehun vaguely felt the urge to vomit and yet he didn't move as he shakily looked at his sleeves that were stained in droplets of black. The glass kept cracking and black droplets kept staining the marble, his white, white robes, and then Jongin was the one tugging him away before panic managed to take over. There were people outside, attracted by the noise, and Sehun numbly watched Jongin put on his hood as he was pulled along.

"Where are we gonna go?" Jongin huffed out and Sehun took over, without a word at first.

"My place," he finally pressed out when breathing didn't feel like an inverted action that was suffocating him. With every step away from the temple, the air became more clean and Sehun recovered rapidly. He didn't feel nauseous or cramped up anymore, and the world around him felt solid and real again.

"What happened back there?" Jongin asked tentatively, as if he still feared for Sehun's state of mind. He shook his head in reply.

"Let's talk about that when we're in private."

He didn't let go of Jongin's hand, and felt his fingers being squeezed.

 


	3. Iolith

Sehun's home was like nothing Jongin had ever seen. First of all, his room was round, which was a common quirk of Soter followers. Jongin hadn't seen any of the people sharing the accommodation’s kitchen and bath, and Sehun had muttered something about them never being around. What really managed to distract Jongin from the chaos lingering in the air though, was Sehun's personal room. There were windows, but he could only tell from the vaguely white light illuminating the room, because the walls were covered in fabric. Long shawls of fabric in colors so light that the room looked like someone swirled a teaspoon of rainbow into a cup of milk. The center of the room was obviously a large and comfortable-looking bed that stood at a wall. The obvious gap between bed and wall was filled with plush cushions and for some reason, the fact that the bed wasn't painted white and the floor was made of dark wood calmed Jongin a bit. It made the room feel more real and anchoring. Odd as it looked, it was almost comfortable, despite him being here for the first time. Maybe it was the fact that Sehun naturally allowed him to sit on his bed. When they had entered earlier, Jongin had been itching to jump into action, to do _something_ , but Sehun had strictly told him not to go anywhere.

' _We'll remain right here and as soon as we've calmed down, we'll discuss the next steps_ ,' he had said. Jongin was a highly impatient person when faced with issues, but Sehun had been in more pain than him and was probably exhausted. Only when Jongin had spent a considerable amount of time lying on his back on Sehun's bed, his feet still firmly on the ground, did he realize that maybe he had been the one who needed the break. He felt his senses sharpening and thoughts calming down as he stared at Sehun's blank, wooden ceiling. It looked a bit naked, but the simplicity was soothing. Sehun had been sitting next to him, remaining upright for a long time but ultimately, he chose to lie down next to Jongin. It was almost tempting, to let problems be problems, and just lie here, in a metaphorical, soft cocoon. But that wasn't in his nature.

"Okay. So... does it still hurt?" he asked, voice perfectly even and quiet, no longer tripping over his words in anxiety. Next to him, Sehun made a denying hum.

"Not at all. How about you?"

"A little," Jongin admitted, but resisted the urge to rub his fingers, since it obviously couldn't chase away the faint, pulsating pain. It felt a little like the familiar pain of accidentally squeezing his fingers at work, but somewhat... bitter. It was hard to explain.

"What did you see in there?" Sehun asked, audibly turning his head to him, "Let's start there, since it seems the most tangible."

Jongin glanced at him, but his bright eyes and the small proximity between them was distracting, so he turned to face the ceiling again.

"I didn't see anything in that room. I just felt this really sharp pain without any other feeling or impression. That never happened before. You said you've never heard of this room? I can hardly imagine something this unsettling would remain a secret, even among your people. But the man," Jongin changed topics, trying to keep his calm and get his thoughts across as orderly as possible, "He gave me a clearer vision, and as ominous as that room was, I think we shouldn't forget about him. Or what happened afterwards."

He heard Sehun sigh.

"I'm dreading what is in for us from now on," he said, and now Jongin had to look at him, only to be lost in the ever so guarded emotions swirling through bright orbs.

"This is getting out of control and can't be hidden any longer. Scared people want and need a culprit, but if it's a deity itself... what's going to happen?" he asked, focusing on Jongin with a sad and conflicted expression. A crack in the mask.

"Think of the black cuts and the ooze dripping down the temple walls like rain. If they believe Horme to be hostile, the fragile dams of acceptance and peace will be washed away in the blink of an eye. If two almost equally huge fellowships start to fight each other, the whole balance will be thrown off and the town will slip into chaos. What are we going to _do_ , Jongin?"

Instinctively, Jongin reached for his hand and was surprised that Sehun let him. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised, though. It was a quite presumptuous thought but for some reason, Sehun confined in him on this, and Jongin vaguely wished every one of these hurt and insecure people had someone to balance them and keep them grounded, even though the responsibility was undeniably there, and rather heavily so. Still, this was obviously not a problem that only concerned Soter and its followers, and they would see this through.

"What if it's not a deity?" he asked. "What if the source is human? It's just as plausible an explanation."

"Jongin, some things can't be explained like that," Sehun said, voice quiet, but urgent. "Maybe you can beat up unsuspecting people or smash windows, but the cuts-"

"Yes, but maybe a human is the reason why this is happening," Jongin argued calmly. "Maybe someone out of your people - or mine - is doing strange things that upset or hurt either Horme or Soter."

"But how would we know we found them? We have no hint at this point, no solid trail at all," Sehun sighed, and Jongin squeezed his fingers.

"We have a couple of hints that just don't seem to make sense yet," he said softly, "Not to mention the colosseum. I saw it really clearly, I saw the arena and stone benches... maybe the perpetrator of that man has nothing to do with this, but we should at least try."

"Try what? To battle our way to the top so you might touch someone who gives you the right visions?" Sehun asked half-heartedly, and Jongin grimaced.

"No... I can't fight."

"Well, me neither."

Suddenly, an idea struck Jongin.

"But I know someone who can!" he said, sitting up with new-found energy. "Kyungsoo! He can participate and tell us whether any contestant seems weird!"

"How would he be able to tell?" Sehun asked skeptically as he, too, sat up. Jongin wasn't deterred.

"He's amazing, Sehun. If anyone dabbles in dark stuff or misuses power, he would be able to tell, I know it. And he's really strong and trustworthy. We can tell him what's going on, I promise."

The mere idea of letting someone else in on their trouble didn't fare well with Sehun, but Jongin let him wrestle this out with his own mind - he had given him enough reasons. Ultimately, Sehun's shoulders sagged a little and that's how Jongin knew he had won.

"Fine. But we also have to follow the other trails. I don't think this is going anywhere."

"Of course. Let's go ask him right away," Jongin suggested, attempting to get to his feet, but Sehun's hand on his lower arm kept him back. He shot him a questioning look, but Sehun didn't verbally reply. His bright grey eyes flitted from his to the linen and back up. He inched in slowly, giving Jongin plenty of time to back away, but while Jongin's heart surely stopped beating for a second, he instinctively turned his head a little to encourage whatever Sehun was going for. He could feel the warmth of him being close, and then Sehun pressed a lingering kiss somewhere between his cheek and ear. Jongin gave his best to keep his expression open-hearted and unfazed, but there was no telling if he managed to. Sehun got to his feet, a mumbled "Let's do it," on his lips and Jongin couldn't help watching his back as he followed him downstairs. Sehun trusted him for whatever reason, trusted in Jongin _not_ thinking too deeply into their makeout session, that physical contact could be this pure between them, without any consequences at all. Jongin had to keep this up and ignore the pull he felt. Not just because he started this, but also because he wanted Sehun to feel comfortable. That didn't mean he _wasn't_ running his fingertips along his burning skin with a suppressed shudder as he followed Sehun down the stairs.   
  


* * *

 

"What happened to that injured man?" Kyungsoo asked as they crossed into another alley. Jongin wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting to find, roaming the streets close to Soter's temple at night, but even if he found absolutely nothing, he would have at least had a nice walk with Kyungsoo. Still, the enormous cross had to have meant something, and maybe he could find a similar shape or impression somewhere. He had spent a good chunk of the day meditating and the fingertips of his outstretched hand casually grazed the walls and fences they were walking past.

"Jongin?" Kyungsoo asked seemingly out of nowhere and Jongin blinked, trying to mentally rewind the past seconds.

"The man?" Kyungsoo repeated, and that was enough for him to get back on track.

"He's alive," Jongin said, his attention momentarily drifting away from his surroundings, "but... he's in a really bad shape. Not physically, but mentally. He hasn't been able to clearly communicate with anyone. Sehun said he's scarred and his behaviour is unpredictable. That he would be cowering away into a corner crying and attacking you in the next. It's really scary and sad..."

Kyungsoo didn't make any sort of sound or verbal confirmation that he was still listening because he didn't need to. Kyungsoo was always listening attentively.

"Whatever caused this, it would really be in the interest of everyone if the culprit is found soon," he said after a moment of silence. "People are getting antsy. The air around town is shifting."

Jongin had gone back to aimlessly scanning his surroundings, feeling the lightest wave of random, harmless impressions dance on his somber mood.

"You're right. So far, only votaries of Soter have been assaulted. It doesn't look good."

For the past few days, Soter followers had been eyeing him warily. Maybe in Jongin's case, they were staring because he spent a lot of time in the company of Sehun, and a Soter and Horme follower were rarely seen together even on a good day - after all, they had never been on the best of terms in the first place. Still, the atmosphere was growing tense... Jongin shook his head to get rid of the gloomy thoughts that led nowhere and turned to look at Kyungsoo.

"So, have you been exercising lately? Any special training?"

Kyungsoo actually huffed at this, which was quite the reaction for him.

"What, you think I’m some kind of martial arts hero? Of course I am," he said in that soft mocking voice that Jongin secretly liked. Everything about Kyungsoo was balanced, even, and neutral, so being on the receiving end of emotions, no matter how small, felt like a privilege.

"Well... if you believe the rumors about Bía followers..." Jongin joked, trailing off, and Kyungsoo shot him a small smile in response. For awhile it was silent with Jongin absently scanning the walls and ground.

"Thank you for actually doing this," he finally said, all genuine and serious, because that's what Kyungsoo's presence did to you in the long run. "I really appreciate it. And Sehun does, too, I know it."

"I don't mind doing it. The issue is important and this seems like as good a chance as any at this point," Kyungsoo evenly said, following it with a question that came out of nowhere, plain and straight to the point as usual.

"Do you like Sehun?"

Jongin's attention stuttered like a flickering candle flame hit by a surprising gush of air.

"What? Sure I do. Don't you?" he half-asked, a little perplex. Kyungsoo didn't think long about it.

"You like him more than I do," he stated, and _oh_. Jongin wasn't the type to blush, but he _was_ the type who got clumsy when flustered, so he focused on not tripping or saying anything silly.

"Maybe? Is that a bad thing? I mean. There isn't much going on between us right now but..." he trailed off, deciding not to go into detail regarding the tension that kept him up at night in a way he hoped Kyungsoo hadn't noticed yet.

"Would you mind if there was?" he asked instead, burying both hands in his pocket to reduce the fidgeting. Kyungsoo took his time to reply this time. For a moment, Jongin assumed he would not get an answer and his attention was starting to drift back to his surroundings when it finally came.

"No. He's a good person."

There was nothing more after that. It wasn't strange for Kyungsoo to be curt, but this felt a little odd, even for him. Still, if there was one thing Kyungsoo hated, it was people bugging him to give things he wasn't offering willingly (Jongin had quickly realized that), so he decided to leave it at that. Thinking of Sehun and him being together in a less platonic way was still presumptuous, anyway. They had only known each other for a few moon cycles and had met under rather messy circumstances.

"You know, you should learn to fight, too," Kyungsoo suddenly said, and Jongin dismissed him with a disbelieving laugh.

"I'm not a fighter, it's not in my nature at all. It's not even something followers of Horme are very skilled at," he said a bit sheepishly, but Kyungsoo wouldn't have it.

"They _are_ able to use their power for offense, too. I'm not saying you should beat people at the colosseum, but you should know how to defend yourself. You can't rely on others being there at all times. And I don't think Sehun is able to protect you either."

"Why are you bringing up Sehun again?" Jongin asked, trying not to sound too whiny.

"Because he's the one who is around you when it's not me."

Jongin didn't know what to say to that, and before he could come up with a reply, he saw something out of the corner of his vision. Kyungsoo followed his gaze and they both came to a halt.

There, on a nearby brick wall, was a big, dark patch that eerily looked like blood. Upon stepping closer, it began to look more tangible and the way the dark mass was vaguely glistening was oddly sickening. The alley was too far away from the main streets and street lights, so Jongin reached for the small lamp attached to his belt. His fingers were slightly trembling as he used a match to light up the lamp. The shadows in the alley immediately came to life, and the thing at the wall turned out to be... flowers. Actual, tiny flowers growing out of nowhere in an entirely unnatural fashion. Jongin had seen people do similar things before - very high followers of Aceso, the healing deity, were able to grow flowers under certain circumstances. But never in his life had Jongin seen flowers with pitch black petals.

"Can you hold it a little closer?" Kyungsoo asked quietly, and Jongin complied. He wasn't too sure until Kyungsoo actually thumbed a flower and rubbed his fingers afterwards. They had been glistening because they were covered in black slick. Never had Jongin been so uncomfortable and almost repulsed by the color dominating his life, but something about this was eerily wrong.

Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder and then back at Jongin.

"You want to try and touch it?"

Jongin absently handed him the lamp and stared at the covert of flowers.

Inhaled. Exhaled. Closed his eyes to think of something grounding, an anchor he liked to call up. He imagined sitting in the temple, feeling safe and calm. Remembered the color of anticipation at the prospect of seeing the most interesting shades of the world.

This time, there was no Sehun around to distract him and he could take his time to sink into the feeling until he opened his eyes, knowing they would be very, very dark. He could feel it.

He reached out. These flowers had a story to tell, and Jongin wanted to know what it was. When his dry skin grazed the flowers, images and feelings flashed up like lightning.

_Power. The cold feeling of stone under your hand. Superiority._

It was the most strange, short rush of something Jongin had never felt before. He blinked, took time to breathe and gave himself a push, placing his palm right into the flowers, pressing down and feeling living leaves and ooze.

_Anger. A man bleeding silently. Anticipation. Flowers growing in between the spaces of fingers, pushing through. Black ooze staining the hand. Indifference. Perfect indifference. The black liquid wiped on the wall. The feel of a smile tugging at one’s lips. A black pattern on the back of a neck._

Jongin retreated his hand, feeling mildly sick at the sight of black liquid staining it. It looked just like his vision. Maybe it was him. Maybe he was the perpetrator-

"Jongin?"

A palm on his upper arm, warm and secure. Jongin blinked.

"What did you see?" Kyungsoo asked as he pulled up his wide sleeves to clean Jongin's palm. Bit by bit Jongin watched the ugly feeling of power and fear being rubbed off, as his breathing slowly evened out.

"Insanity," he finally whispered. Kyungsoo's eyes searched his, but Jongin didn't dare looking up. He felt filthy, afraid and ashamed. Vulnerable.

Neither of them noticed the burning gaze lingering on them.   
  


* * *

 

The sun was shining so bright it was blinding and workers were setting up the simple construction of colorful fabric on the top tier to provide as much shade as possible. Neither Jongin nor Sehun were celebrities, but the clear color of their eyes would guarantee them a seat on the middle tiers at least. As luck would have it though, they had met just the right people at the temple of Aceso a few days earlier. Jongin hadn't managed to find out anything about the flowers, but it turned out that Baekhyun and Minseok were regulars at the colosseum and willing to provide them with nice seats through whatever connections they had by now. They currently led the way in such a natural fashion that it was obvious they felt at home. Sehun and him mostly stumbled after them, and when the two regulars stopped, they were equally surprised to see just how close to the arena the two were usually seated. While Baekhyun made easy conversation over a silent, relaxed Minseok, Jongin and Sehun tried to soak in their surroundings without being rude. It had been years since Jongin had last been at the colosseum. Like so many young kids he had been beyond fascinated, thinking of the participants as dazzling warriors and idols. When he started his training at the temple, though, he stopped going, re-orienting himself and his preferences. It was still a magical place with the very used, but once meticulously painted stone benches. Any followership of a sizable amount had a certain block painted in the colors of their deity. Nowadays, the seating wasn't as strictly regulated anymore, but it made for a visually pleasing sight for sure. Then there was the amount of people filing in, excited chatter and the scent of fried snacks filling the air, and it had a very healing effect on Jongin after the past weeks full of darkness and fear. If he'd close his eyes and tried, he would easily be able to recall the nauseous, cold and slimy feeling that had overcome him upon touching the flowers, but this was not the time. He had meditated a lot that day, meaning that he was very much open to the disgusting memory, but the flood of current, new information served as a perfect counterpart. He felt alive and ready to soak up whatever the world had to offer.

"Does Chanyeol participate every moon cycle?" Sehun asked, having obviously humored Baekhyun a little more than Jongin, who was too distracted by everything and also knew that Baekhyun valued talking over being listened to or getting responses. He wasn't surprised to see him at the colosseum since Baekhyun was a bit of an oddball, known for his casual interest in just about anyone and anything. He liked to visit all sorts of temples, marvelling at the architecture and bugging people with questions about their daily lives which was the reason why he knew most people and most people knew _about_ Baekhyun. Jongin had long gotten used to his quirky, maybe even intrusive behaviour, but Sehun was obviously not familiar with him yet. Either way, Jongin would have expected Baekhyun to come and cheer Chanyeol on - seeing as he was one of the main victims of Baekhyun's incessant attention. He was, however, a bit surprised that Minseok would be a regular. Who would have thought that quiet, mature Minseok was interested in watching flashy fights? Maybe Jongin really didn't know a lot about him yet.

"You think Soo will get far?" Baekhyun now mused, and Jongin was sure his friend would wrinkle his nose in disgust at the intimate nickname. He, too, had met Baekhyun before and had openly claimed that he wished he hadn't.

"Don't doubt him, he's really strong," Jongin defended him, and while Baekhyun made a mocking face, Minseok smiled indulgently, but genuinely.

"Of course he is," he said with his characteristically soft voice. "His eyes are really impressive. I'm excited to see how he'll stand his ground."

The noise swelled as two hosts entered the arena to give an opening speech. Jongin was paying close attention when a palm on his right thigh made him jump. A glance told him that Sehun wasn't looking at him, but when Jongin placed his own hand on Sehun's, he linked their fingers together without hesitation. His skin was warm and the gesture was as distracting as it was comforting. Jongin wanted to squeeze his fingers, feel the security of not being alone in this, but if he did that, he would not only end up being completely scatterbrained, no, he'd also end up wanting _more_. The wild fantasy of kissing Sehun right here, in the blazing sunlight, flashed up before his inner eyes and Jongin closed his eyes. Focused. Only the most devoted followers could see into objects and people without touching them, and Jongin couldn't hope for that much. But if he was in his best condition, maybe the vaguest shadow of a feeling would reach him. Maybe, if it was anything as dark and disgusting or painful as he had felt before...

Their fingers remained intertwined, albeit lightly so, while they watched the first rounds. They were both startled to hear the whole colosseum cheer for Chanyeol, and Baekhyun proudly informed them that Chanyeol always made it to at least the quarterfinals. Indeed it took Chanyeol less than a minute to pin his opponent down and have him give up. Jongin also felt a lingering sense of pride for Chanyeol, who always worked so hard in their dance lessons. The success definitely showed in the precise, fluid way he moved. Overall, Jongin was fascinated by how people used their blessings to fight. Apparently, followers of Feronia - like Chanyeol - were crowd favourites because they made the air flicker and could even fight with actual fire. People liked something flashy to look at, and apparently had high expectations for Kyungsoo, too, who got a decent cheer despite being a complete newcomer. Jongin squeezed Sehun's hand out of sheer nerves. Would Kyungsoo really be alright?

His first opponent was a fellow votary of Bía, and Jongin wondered whether Kyungsoo personally knew her. Kyungsoo walked towards her, not running or yelling, not jumping from side to side. He just walked towards her, blocked a few attempted hits and took the other out with only two very precise looking moves that happened too quick for Jongin to follow. He ended the confrontation by helping her up, they both bowed to each other and Jongin felt even more respect and awe at the followership of Bía than usual.

He tried to focus more after that. The key to this unsettling happenings lay in the arena, and Jongin had to do his best at attempting to spot anything suspicious. From this distance it was impossible to look for the black pattern he assumed to be a tattoo and he was well aware of the fact that the meaning behind his vision could be something more abstract, but for now, he had the limited chance to observe the participants, so that's what he was going to focus on. There were followers of every deity Jongin knew, and the rarest talents he had never seen with his own eyes; one of Kyungsoo's later opponents turned out to be a Soter follower who used his power to temporarily rob his sight - Jongin had never seen anything like it before. Luckily, Kyungsoo managed to take the other on with closed eyes, and Sehun seemed more relieved than Jongin himself. All the fascinating and scary skills aside, none of them seemed overly suspicious. Until Kyungsoo's third battle, that is.

The crowd went into an oddly divided mix of cheering and something Jongin could only interpret as disappointment.

"Oh man, Kyungsoo has such bad luck! You hear that? The crowd already liked him!" Baekhyun yelled over the crowd, his tone blending in perfectly.

"What do you mean? Why? Is he strong?" Jongin asked, and Baekhyun laughed, high on excitement.

"You could say that! This guy does not lose, he simply doesn't!"

Jongin looked at the man walking towards his designated starting spot. He hadn't really paid him any heed before, since most early battles were determined quickly and he had seemed to use a similar technique to Kyungsoo. He didn't look overly tall or bulky and was dressed in gear similar to Jongin's working clothes, but wore a dark cloth over his eyes, which Jongin had understood as a clever technique of hiding his potential skills.

"So he's the champion every time?" Sehun asked doubtfully and this time, Minseok shook his head, fascinated gaze trained on the man in question.

"He's never been champion. At some point, he just gives up and draws out of the contest."

"It was a killjoy at first, but it's become an interesting wildcard by now," Baekhyun provided merrily. They both leaned forward at the sound of the bell signalizing the start of the fight, and Jongin felt a lump of nervousness in his throat. Sehun squeezed his fingers tightly, and not to _give_ comfort. Kyungsoo seemed alerted by the crowd's reaction and stood perfectly still, awaiting his opponents first move with his hands raised slightly, ready to defend himself. For a second, nothing happened, but then the stranger walked towards him with light steps, as if he was about to greet a friend, not start a fight. His first swing came so quickly that Jongin only realized it when Kyungsoo had dodged, starting a counter attack. Both of them were fast but their movements were vastly different. Kyungsoo fought similar to how he spoke and thought - sharp, precise and to the point. His opponent, however, moved in a complementary way, and Jongin was vaguely reminded of a snake because while most certainly powerful, he moved with an odd fluidity that seemed entirely unpredictable.

"Ah, Kyungsoo is holding himself so well!" Baekhyun yelled while Minseok remained focused on the fight, a certain glint in his eyes.

Next to him, Sehun gasped when Kyungsoo caught the other's arm and refused to let go. On his other side, Baekhyun started to yell 'No!' over and over again. Jongin didn't understand. They seemed to be in the midst of a push and pull game when the opponent cocked his head to the side, and one very quick move later, he had his hand ripped free - and Kyungsoo crumpled to the ground, motionless.

"Oh my god," Jongin said, and it was drowned in the cheer of the crowd. He had caused this. Kyungsoo was seriously hurt because of him.

"He'll be okay, won't he?" Sehun asked their two friends, an audible, desperate demand in his voice. Baekhyun dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"That guy never killed anyone. No one even dies in the arena anymore, anyway. At least not with Xing on medic duty-"

Sehun had long stopped listening, and Jongin could feel the worry pulse through him, could feel it through their linked fingers. It was almost overwhelming, adding it on top of Jongin's own fear. They watched Kyungsoo being carried away by two medics, and exchanged a look.

"I'll go and look after him," Sehun said firmly. It surprised Jongin a bit to see just how invested Sehun was in Kyungsoo's security, considering that the two didn't seem to get along well. He attempted to get to his feet, too, but Sehun pushed him down with a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. You gotta keep an eye on the arena. Especially on that strange guy. I'll go."

Jongin bit his lip, but stayed put. Sehun was right. He had to keep an eye out and maybe all of this wouldn't be a waste of time.

In the next fight of the veiled stranger, he was determined to figure out his technique and the deity he drew the power from. But the fight was over in the blink of an eye and his opponent collapsed, just like Kyungsoo had. Baekhyun and Minseok didn't have any helpful information, either. Another contestant who kept winning his fights was Chanyeol. Sure, Baekhyun had told him Chanyeol was good, but seeing it with his own eyes was a different thing altogether. Unlike the mysterious guy, his fights were highly showy and entertaining. In the quarterfinal, he fought an Aceso follower who reigned over water, and the whole arena was temporarily drowning in steam. It quickly became obvious who would meet in the final, at least to Jongin. Chanyeol and the stranger. To Baekhyun and Minseok, however, this seemed to be a surprise.

"It's because he always beats Chanyeol, but he also refuses to take the title," Baekhyun explained excitedly during a short break before the finale. "This means that this time, we have no clue what's going to happen. Not to mention that Chanyeol has been training furiously to win at least one time-"

Jongin was zoning out on the battle strategies Baekhyun got into after that, watching the empty arena. Maybe he was biased and confused, but he got the vague feeling that this anonymous fighter had _something_ to do with this. The extent and form of involvement was still a mystery, but Jongin had this tingling feeling in the back of his head, small but insisting. The urge to reach out and touch him to see more. An action he should definitely not risk, looking at what had happened to all the others getting too close in the arena. That man was deadly.

Jongin was at the edge of his seat when the two entered the arena, moving into their starting positions. He forced himself to focus, tried his best to stay open, but direct the openness better. When the gong signaled the beginning of the battle, Jongin expected them to stay still, maybe access the situation. But like before, Chanyeol charged forwards immediately, and the air flickered around him.

"You better watch out today!" he yelled, loud enough for Jongin to hear and oddly... gleeful. Chanyeol was _enjoying_ this. It looked like an ordinary physical fight at first, but at some point Jongin realized that Chanyeol was not even trying to hit the other, staying just under a hand's width away, just shy to touch. Next to him, his two companions were wildly analyzing the ongoings but Jongin was too focused to hear them. He understood it himself, got it when the stranger flinched and tumbled, holding his shoulder for a second. A patch of skin was showing where his clothes were singed. Chanyeol was attacking with heat over a short distance, avoiding to get touched since that meant a defeat for some reason. It seemed like the other picked up his game after that, too, and the battle got more vicious after that. Jongin could feel the force behind the hits, could hear the way the hot air hissed whenever Chanyeol burnt anything.

"He hit him so many times already, maybe he'll actually win?! You think he'll win?" Baekhyun yelled over the noisy crowd, but no one replied. Chanyeol alternated between aiming for his arms, legs, chest, never the head - and then finally managed a hit hard enough to actually make his opponent tumble and lose his footing. In a wide swipe, Chanyeol attempted to use the opening for a final blow, but the guy managed to catch himself, managed to lift his arm in defense-

_A deafening crack. Instinct and fear. Black ooze dripping from flowers._

Jongin jolted in his seat. One second, they were both fighting, the other he saw two bodies lying on the ground. He heard himself yelling out to Chanyeol, heard the commotion around him as medics unsurely hovered at the side of the scene while someone was counting.

The stranger was the first to move, sitting up slowly, looking ragged from what Jongin could see. He crawled the two steps over to Chanyeol, slowly placing a hand over his chest. Then he stumbled back and up to his feet, and Jongin _tasted_ the metallic taste of blood and being shaken. He lifted both fists, crossed his arms over his head as he slowly walked backwards. He was giving up.

The host was about to declare no one the winner, when Chanyeol coughed violently, convulsing and rolling to his side, immediately attempting to get up. He didn't realize the other had given up, not until fanfares were played and flower petals thrown into the arena. Jongin felt the daze and confusion, and even the disappointment when Chanyeol did realize. He kept yelling after the stranger, shouting at him to come back and finish this with honour, and even when a crown made of fresh flowers and plants was placed on his head a while later, his smile looked taut. He hadn't really earned the title of a champion, Jongin got that. It was the only thing he was sure of right now. The overall flood of information and feelings was so overwhelming that he couldn't think of anything but how he had to get out and back to Sehun as soon as possible.

 

"How are you feeling?"

The city around them was quiet, mostly slumbering under night's cozy blanket while Jongin and Sehun walked around town, bundled up to protect themselves from the crisp air. He was breathing evenly, enjoying the calmness.

"You mean what am I feeling?" he asked jokingly, rhetorically, as he continued right after. "Not a lot. A tiny bit if worry though. And sadness."

He turned to look at Sehun with a wry smile.

"That's you, I guess."

Sehun reacted by breaking eye contact and obviously putting all his efforts into shielding himself from Jongin's more and more intrusive senses, until the tiny, grey and crumbly feeling was muted out and Jongin was left to himself.

"This isn't something any follower of Horme could do to you," Jongin attempted to comfort Sehun. "Looking inside things and people without a touch is really rare and reserved for people whose eyes are almost entirely black. I have no idea why it suddenly worked for me. Must have been a fluke. Either way, it's fading already."

"Who knows what really happened in that arena," Sehun grumbled, and Jongin reached for his hand. For a moment, he thought Sehun would be too wary to allow the touch, but he did, eventually curling his fingers around Jongin's to reciprocate the gesture.

"Chanyeol should know something, considering the number of battles they fought against each other, right?" Jongin mused. It had been hard to approach him after the battle, but he proposed they meet up the next day. Dire as the situation was, Jongin didn't push him. Chanyeol had been frustrated and not open at all, so Jongin easily accepted the time the other requested for.

"He better... or else this was all for nothing," Sehun muttered, and Jongin knew he was thinking of Kyungsoo, knew it without Horme assisting him.

"It won't be. We're gathering little pieces, and every piece has a place," Jongin said, squeezing his hand. "Besides, I really don't think Kyungsoo is mad or hurt in any way. He said it was an unexpectedly interesting experience, right? Kyungsoo doesn't tell lies, ever."

Sehun looked at him strangely after that and only realized he had stopped walking when Jongin experimentally tugged him along. Then he ducked his head and nodded.

"You're right. He doesn't."

 

That evening, they didn't find any more black flowers or other odd places, and Sehun invited him to stay over, with Kyungsoo deliberately spending the night at the temple of Bía to rest and nurture his balance. Jongin was surprised, a bit hesitant because of the temptation he could see following along with this, but still agreed readily. He was even more surprised when Sehun let him sleep on his bed instead of the floor, when they shared a bed. There was a flood of thoughts keeping him away, mentally pawing at him. By now, Jongin had managed to put his prejudices aside - it wasn't like devoted followers of Soter refused to let anyone get close. They were just very selective and cautious. Those that they did let in, however, would be protected with unwavering loyalty. For some reason Sehun seemed pretty lax around him, had been so from the moment Jongin had gifted him with the earring that was now resting on the nightstand, the white pearl barely visible in the semi-darkness. Regardless of that, Jongin was here now, and so was Sehun. People like Sehun didn't play around, and the awareness made the sensation of lips on the back of his neck infinitely more intense. It tickled, the first kiss. As if Sehun was testing the water. Jongin was too baffled to react, to either turn towards him or pull away. It was so easy if he was the one initiating things, if he knew exactly what was going to happen and why, although the _why_ Sehun was answering crystal clear as he mouthed along Jongin's neck, getting more demanding and sure in his movements. Jongin squirmed, out of sensitivity, excitement and the sheer feeling of being overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by how possessive Sehun's actions were, how devoid of any doubt that he _wanted_ Jongin, not simply on a physical level, but in a way that ran so much deeper. Never before had he considered how intense the loyal, focused affection of someone with eyes as bright as Sehun's would be. It woke the strange urge in Jongin to curl up close to him, to give Sehun _more_ than everything. And maybe Sehun had already taken _more_ already. Because Jongin lived his life wearing his heart on his sleeve, and yet Sehun was currently nosing his way under his collar, thumbing his way beneath his sleeves, where he apparently found something Jongin hadn't even known existed before.

He didn't end up turning around that night, and despite the obvious signs of desire, neither Sehun nor Jongin pushed for anything further. He seemed genuinely content in holding Jongin, pressing him to his chest. And Jongin cradled Sehun's arm close to his own chest, falling into it.   
  


* * *

  
It was surprisingly easy to get out of their seating area and all the way down to where the medics treated contestants - but the fights were still ongoing and so the majority of the audience was seated. It _did_ take him a long, impatient glare and two sentences on how he knew Kyungsoo personally to get inside the room but overall, Sehun was by his side before the medic had stopped his assessment after the lost battle. Kyungsoo was conscious, and thoughtfully, albeit a bit dizzily, staring at him as a young medic slid her palms over his exposed upper body, checking for internal injuries. When she left to attend to the next person, assuring them both that Kyungsoo was perfectly fine, Sehun actually... didn't know what to say. There was no need to ask him about his state now, and that was all that he could have thought of. In the middle of this busy room, he was sitting beside Kyungsoo, who was still sitting up even though he had promised to lie down and rest some more. His breathing had evened out by now. Rays of sunlight filtered in through big windows that were carved into the thick stone walls, and Sehun unintentionally marveled at the way it made Kyungsoo's eyes shine.

"I'm alright," Kyungsoo finally said. Sehun nodded awkwardly.

"Good."

Kyungsoo looked at him as if he was trying to figure something out, and then turned away with a small huff that Sehun saw, instead of hearing it.

He had tried his best not to show it to Jongin too obviously, but Sehun was really impressed by Kyungsoo. Most of the Bía followers he had met seemed close in mind - treasuring a hard shell and precise focus. But they usually came across as very rigid and... simple. Simple in the sense that they were consumed entirely by the philosophy of Bía, taking away any traits that would be interesting and individual to Sehun. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, wasn't _just_ perfect balance, cold logic and unwavering strength. Somehow, he retained a soft, mysterious side to himself. Maybe the source lay in the flicker of warmth dancing in his orbs whenever he watched Jongin.

"Kyungsoo?"

No verbal reply followed, but Kyungsoo turned his head to look at him, and maybe Jongin would've been able to see more than mild interest in his orbs. He always seemed to see a lot in them that stayed hidden to Sehun.

"You like Jongin."

It wasn't a question, and yet there was an odd wavering in his voice, as if Sehun only now realized that he shouldn't stand a chance against Kyungsoo. He shouldn't. And yet he did, deep down he knew that he did. It wasn't _right_.

Kyungsoo's gaze slipped away from him, wandered the room. He didn't even seem to think about anything in particular, didn't have an issue to solve. In the background, the crowd was cheering all of a sudden. Sehun barely heard it.

"It doesn't matter," Kyungsoo said after a long moment of silence. When he turned back to look at Sehun, he wasn't angry, but neither did he put up a smile. The utter absence of a mask might be the biggest difference between Soter and Bía followers. Sehun wondered how many sacrifices one had to pay to live with their head held high and devoid of fears, without any mask protecting your bare self.

"Barely anyone wants a lover from the temple of Bía, anyway," Kyungsoo said monotonously. "It's rough and very ungrateful."

A human instinct would be to disagree, but Sehun felt like it would be disrespectful to do that. He wouldn't know. Still, he felt sad on Kyungsoo's behalf and refused to believe that Kyungsoo was unaffected.

"Still..." Sehun began, trailing off. He didn't know what he wanted, couldn't think of a way to make this situation right. He just knew that he didn't want to hurt Kyungsoo.

"Don't hold back," Kyungsoo said, and for the first time, Sehun caught a glimpse of resignation in his purple orbs. "Don't hold back on anyone's behalf but Jongin's."

The choice of words was odd and Sehun considered its meaning.

"I don't think I'd be _bad_ for him," he concluded, quiet but sure enough. "I can't know whether I'd be _good_ or even _better_."

_Better than you_ , he thought and didn't say.

"Nobody knows these things ahead of time," Kyungsoo simply replied and lied down, getting comfortable on the blanket.

"You're definitely wiser than Jongin, so take good care of him," he added, a hint of ease reminding Sehun of the pale unobtrusive light tinting the world rose-colored around dawn. "I'll rest some more. You can go ahead and watch the last battles."

Despite the soft finality in his voice, despite the fact that something big and dangerous was probably going on up there, Sehun didn't move.

"Can I stay a little longer?" he asked, voice small and gaze lowered. Seconds passed. Kyungsoo exhaled, and he remained unreadable to Sehun.

"Sure."


	4. Snowflake Obsidian

 

It had been raining ever since Sehun had roused that day. It had started with a light drizzle that made the the warmth radiating off Jongin even more comfortable and cozy. Over the course of the day, the rain grew stronger and by the time the sun was supposed to set, it was pouring outside. Having had to leave their sheltered blanket cocoon and step outside, Sehun felt like the rain washed away the blessing that had been the previous night. The sun kept wandering, even if it preferred to hide behind dark clouds, and the mood in the temple was more than glum. A group of people side-eyed him for being seen with Jongin the past moon cycles but ultimately, Sehun was one of them, and not the real _enemy_. People were starting to lose the inhibitions about blaming Horme's fellowship for the current series of incidents. The focus didn't even lie on the deity itself - rather than that, people seemed to think of Horme's followers as the ones convincing their deity to attack them. Either way, if something was mutually agreed on, it was akin to a flood gate being opened. People would speak up for a multitude of reasons like venting their anger, wanting to belong, wanting to take revenge for the grief that has been slumbering beneath the surface for years. Sehun had hoped they'd be better than that, but maybe this was a trait so inherently human that no deity could protect them from.

Now, people were whispering among themselves, coming up with theories of how Horme's people might have planned all this. While Soter and Horme used to have an equally sized fellowship, the number of people learning the ways of dark eyes had increased immensely over the past few years. There were still a lot of Soter followers, but it was a blow to their pride, and now a reason to _fear_. Sehun thought that all this was ridiculous. He had spent a lot of time with Jongin, not only to get to know him, but also to better understand what Horme represented. Nothing would suggest people devoting their lives to openness to try to attack them. No, it had to be something different, and they were on to something. The tracks were blurry and oddly mismatched, but they were a start. There had been the black and white cross and the black flowers, but if a follower of Horme was behind all this, it was surely not a big collective.

"Can you show me the cuts?" Chanyeol asked curiously, playing along the rim of his beer glass. Sehun looked up and outside, the world lit up by a strike of thunder, making harsh raindrops visible for the blink of an eye. Sehun nonchalantly held out his arm, pulling up the sleeve. Next to Chanyeol, Kyungsoo watched over his shoulder to check whether anyone was watching them, but the waiter had given up on them for now.

"They're almost all gone," Sehun admitted, gesturing towards one of the meagre remains in form of a faint, black line. While Chanyeol leaned in close, Kyungsoo unabashedly brushed his thumb over it. Sehun pretended not to notice.

"Did they vanish for everyone?" Chanyeol asked in that obviously hopeful tone that would love to add ' _maybe it's all over already, then_ '. Sehun shook his head.

"Some are vanishing - like mine - while some are getting worse. I don't understand the pattern, because at this point, everyone is scared and confused."

"A bad combination," Kyungsoo hummed. Next to Sehun, Jongin pulled out the cheap flyer for a restaurant he had snatched when they entered the bar earlier, turning it around to place it on the wooden table. He pulled out a pen and Sehun shifted the oil lamp so they could all get a look at what he was scribbling on it. On top, he wrote 'black cuts'.

"It all started here," he began, and it clearly wasn't an explanation exclusively for Chanyeol, but also a recap for all of them. "I touched them and saw Soter's temple as well as... something pushing until the scars were burnt into his skin. Something like that. So we went to the temple," he added, scribbling key words down and connecting the _scars_ to a next point called ' _temple_ '.

"There, we saw two things. One was a very weird room Soter allowed me to see for some reason, with a cross that looked like two big scars, one black, the other white. And we found a victim, someone who got attacked by an unknown perpetrator. When I touched him, I saw the colosseum, so that's where we went."

"That's all?" Chanyeol asked, supporting his chin on his hand and pursing his lips. "That's not a whole lot. Why would you think this sudden chain of terrible happenings is linked to that one guy who likes to wipe the ground with me on a regular basis?"

"Does that guy have a black tattoo on the back of his neck?" Sehun asked, not quite liking the doubtful tone of the Feronia follower. To his satisfaction, the other froze.

"I... couldn't vow for it in court but... I think he does. _Still_ ," he added immediately after, "I doubt he secretly does some black magic stuff to pit Soter and Horme against each other."

"I didn't say he did," Jongin responded calmly. "I just think that he is close to what's happening right now, and that my visions point to him. I don't get an instruction manual along with them - maybe he is linked in a way different than what you just suggested."

For a second, Sehun was reminded of how they had argued when they first met. Chanyeol reminded him of himself. And just like Jongin had managed to worm through his walls, Chanyeol let down his (laughable) guard a little.

"Alright, but how could I help you in this?"

"Don't you know anything about him?" Jongin tried, and Chanyeol shook his head.

"But you can track him," Kyungsoo said with a certainty that surprised everyone at the table. Sehun had never seen anyone turn this red in mere moments.

"We exchanged, like, seven words in total," Chanyeol stated stubbornly.

"Seven words that you counted," Kyungsoo smoothly returned, and Sehun was both surprised and guilty over the fact that they were baring him like this. Feronia was a deity of passion, and it brought a diverse range of blessings just like Aceso. The most famous one, aside from an affinity to fire, was their inner compass always pointing towards the direction of their biggest enemy... and soulmate. Sehun didn't know whether they could feel more than that, but he assumed passion could have different colors. Chanyeol was obviously put on the spot and if it was Sehun, he would close up and block them all out at this point. Unfortunately for Chanyeol, he obviously lacked that skill.

"Okay, fine, maybe I could. But I never tried!" he added defensively, leaning back and crossing his arms. "He wants nothing to do with me in private and I accept that. I'm not _that_ pathetic."

 _So you do think you're a little pathetic_ , Sehun resisted the urge to say.

"And I won't abuse this bond to get him into trouble," Chanyeol ended with finality.

"But we never said we would!" Jongin argued, frustration sneaking into his voice. Again, Sehun was reminded of their first encounter. When Jongin had started to lose patience, Sehun had immediately reached out. When he lost patience with Chanyeol, the other only took it as a sign to further back away. He would have liked to think deeper into this, but Kyungsoo spoke up, ending the quarreling between Jongin and Chanyeol.

"Do you have such little faith in this man your compass leads to?" he asked. "Do you really think he is malicious enough to hurt this many people? What if he's entangled in this and needs your help?"

Sehun knew they had won Chanyeol over. They probably all knew it. Feronia followers were worse than Horme followers in the sense that they were just as emotional, but not open to _everything_. Easily biased, easily pulled to a certain side.

"Alright. You... you couldn't even hurt him anyway. He's way stronger than all of you," Chanyeol concluded, and they all exchanged a look. Because he might be right. Sehun could only hope this wouldn't take a turn for the worse.

  
  


* * *

 

"What does it feel like?" Jongin asked quietly, and got hushed by Kyungsoo putting a hand on his shoulder in warning. Sehun felt a pang of jealousy that was quickly extinguished.

"Like energy," Chanyeol replied as they made their way down the dark streets, looking no doubt suspicious. It wasn't too common to see a group of people of mixed beliefs together, especially not with followers of both Soter and Feronia, and especially not at night. Still, no one wanted to stay back - Sehun refused to stay safe while people got into danger because of something concerning him, Jongin's senses were direly needed and Kyungsoo insisted on tagging along. It was quiet outside - nights of Mars usually were, but Feronia's blessings were especially strong on that day, so Chanyeol didn't even hesitate as he lead them down the streets, both well-lit ones and dirty alleys. Jongin had seen the other's tattoo in a nightly setting, and Sehun really hoped the other wouldn't turn out to be the next victim.

"I don't understand," Jongin said, seeming the least concerned of all of them. Maybe Kyungsoo was making him feel safe. Chanyeol made some vague hand gestures.

"Like a... prickling sensation. But a very unique one, one that you don't feel in your chest or limbs, but up in your head. It increases in intensity the closer you get."

"That sounds uncomfortable."

"It's alright," Chanyeol dismissed him, and the next words evidently tumbled out before he could stop them. "It's stimulating."

"I _see_ ," Sehun commented, and it was enough for Chanyeol to turn defensive again.

"Not like _that_. It's definitely not like that-"

"Like what?" Sehun asked with faux innocence. Feronia and Soter followers tended to rub each other the wrong way all day long, but Sehun and Chanyeol had been bickering good-naturedly ever since they met up earlier.

"You know what I meant by that," Chanyeol whined, and Sehun sighed.

"You're breaking Baekhyun's heart."

"Baekhyun? What does this have to do with him?"

"Please, he only had eyes for you in the arena. Who are you trying to fool here?" Sehun asked, and Jongin jumped to his aid.

"And during dance classes, too! He's all over you."

Chanyeol just shook his head and didn't seem able to stop, so absurd was the thought to him.

"No, no, no. There is nothing between Baekhyun and me-"

"Could you please focus. And stay more quiet," Kyungsoo reprimanded all of them, and the conversation died down immediately. For a long time, they silently walked down streets, warily eyeing the occasionally lost drunk that turned out to be harmless.

"We're close," Chanyeol whispered when they were roaming the district to the south of Horme's temple. The tension in the air grew immediately, and Jongin was walking closer to Sehun to now. Chanyeol came to a slow stop, gesturing ahead, towards a dead end. Kyungsoo took the lead and the with every step, Sehun began to understand what they were walking towards to. There was the vague shadow of a person standing sideways, there was a dark patch on the wall suggesting more flowers. And there was a dark lump on the ground-

Jongin stepped on a tiny stone chafing against the cobblestone and the figure moved quickly. Before it could get away or charge at them, the alley was lit up by Chanyeol, who mercilessly set fire to the torches hanging in their vicinity. The light revealed that there were indeed flowers on the wall, that there was indeed a body on the ground, but all Sehun could see were the ominous, yellow orbs staring at them like a cat waiting in the shadows.

"I knew it," Chanyeol said before anyone could gather their wits. "You're a follower of Poine! I always knew it!"

Kyungsoo was already inching closer, tension from top to bottom making it clear that he was ready for a fight. The mysterious colosseum fighter looked taken aback, and the yellow orbs added something wild to his already rugged appearance. Sehun had never met a votary of Poine in person, had never looked into the yellow eyes of a punisher. Maybe they would be the last thing he'd see.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kyungsoo asked strictly, and the man tore his gaze away from Chanyeol to lift his arms and cross them over his head, the arena sign of submission.

"I did not kill this woman," he said, and his voice was distinct and sharp, with a breathy edge. Sehun's eyes darted to the bundle on the ground. Only now did he see the red stains coating the wall, and the black ooze dripping down from the flowers. "And I do not intend to harm any of you."

He took a step backwards and Jongin reacted first.

"I saw you!" he burst out. "I saw you in my visions!"

This was enough to make the other pause. Hesitate. Reconsider.

"I... will not run away. I can explain things, too. We shouldn't talk here though."

No one moved a muscle. A stalemate. Then the stranger looked at Jongin and Sehun.

"Judge for yourselves whether to trust me or not."

Kyungsoo actually stopped glaring at the other to shoot them a questioning look. Sehun felt Jongin squeeze his hand, but _he_ didn't have to try hard to see anything. The reality was that his senses weren't warning him of anything at all. Yellow, unreadable orbs rested on them, patiently waiting.

"Let's leave," Jongin suggested, his voice quiet but determined in the deserted alley.

They all backed away and only when Kyungsoo gestured the stranger to follow, did he lower his arms and slowly walked after them. Sehun felt wary, having him walk behind his back, but he knew Kyungsoo was watching, so he just continued to breathe, keeping his and Jongin's fingers intertwined to better feel his surroundings.  
  
  


* * *

 

Unlike big, well-known and friendly deities like Soter or Aceso, Poine had no temple. There were rumors of shrines existing all over the capital, but none would be recognizable as one. If you wanted to join the fellowship of Poine, the fellowship found _you_. Sehun knew no more than the average person, meaning that he had heard countless rumors and had no chance of telling truth from fantasy. The only known fact was that Poine was the deity of retribution and punishment. People greatly feared its followers, who kept their identities hidden from the public. They were rumored to be assassins, people who hunt in the shadows. Right now, the guy sitting across them in the corner of a deserted bar didn't look threatening at all though, aside from his eye color. In the warm candle light, his hair shimmered in an inconspicuous brown, his features were neither hard nor soft, and he wore a smile that looked like he was entirely unaware of the gravity of the situation they were all in.

"And while I've been investigating the matter, you found me," he just said, hands placed on the tabletop harmlessly.

"But why would you investigate this in the first place?" Sehun asked him, tapping the wood impatiently. "It doesn't concern you what happens internally in our community."

The guy wasn't deterred.

"It's what we do, so it is of concern to me," he explained. "We are the ones who serve the justice that is deserved, based on the judgement of Poine. Who protects a gentle deity if it's being mistreated? Who faces a deity gone wild? Someone has to do it. And Poine is not biased."

"So whatever your deity tells you to do, you will?" Jongin asked, looking compelled. The guy nodded calmly.

"Yes."

The focus of his yellow eyes shifted to Chanyeol, who was actually raising his hand a little, smiling sheepishly.

"Another question?"

"Yes," Chanyeol said. "What's your name?"

Sehun sighed, and while the stranger blinked in surprise, he quickly caught himself.

"Call me Chen," he offered with a smile that seemed small and rehearsed.

"That's not your actual name," Kyungsoo stated.

"It wouldn't be in any of our interests if I gave you a different name."

"I beg to differ," Chanyeol protested, but decided to stay silent and leave the questions to the others for now.

"So you have been trying to solve whatever was going on in the shadows," Kyungsoo summed up, "and in your free time, you play around in the colosseum?"

The man named Chen shrugged with a guilty little smile tugging at his lips.

"It's the best way to train. Where else do you get to fight an Aceso child? Or one of Soter's?"

Jongin hummed, wordlessly soaking up the information. Sehun wanted to draw him into his side as a symbolic attempt to protect him from this stranger who could very well be lying. The only thing they knew for sure was that he was stronger than all of them, which was not calming at all. Just because his senses told him he wasn't a threat in this very moment didn't mean that couldn't change in an instant.

"And what have you got so far?" Sehun asked instead, and Chen cocked his head to the side.

"Why would I give out all my information so easily if I have no clue who you are? You might as well be the ones who tried to lure me into a trap in the first place."

"Which trap?" Jongin piped up, and Chen seemed much more inclined to talk to _him_. Sehun huffed.

"The flowers. They've been appearing all over the city for awhile now, and I feel like I'm being watched. I don't know what they're supposed to tell me, but the fact that someone leaves dead bodies for me isn't very comforting."

"So someone wants to- _someone was watching you_!" Jongin suddenly said, loud enough for Kyungsoo to warily check whether they were being listened on. "I saw that in a vision. I saw your tattoo, but the angle was screwed, so someone had to be watching from higher above."

Chen sat up straighter immediately.

"When did you see that?"

"When I touched the flowers," Jongin urgently said, and despite everything, Sehun felt himself getting excited alongside him. Were they finally on to something? Would all the puzzle pieces they found finally click together?

"Ah, you really have an advantage in this particular case," Chen sighed, and Jongin didn't even hesitate before replying.

"That's why we should work together!"

Chen pulled a face, leaning back in his seat.

"I don't involve others in my work," he whined. "It's my responsibility to carry out."

"You carry the responsibility, then," Sehun said with a small shrug. "It's more important that we finally figure this out and find the culprit. People are _dying_ , and it won't be exclusive to Soter votaries forever, that much is for sure."

"All lives matter equally," Kyungsoo said monotonously, and Chen sighed with a light-hearted, dramatic undertone.

"Fine, you win. You already sort of exposed my identity, there's no point in running since your fiery friend would find me again and again-" he listed, shooting Chanyeol a funny look, "and also I've been gnawing on this for far too long, anyway. I give up. Let's team up for this. I wasn't kidding when I said I could really need a Horme follower to help me out."

Sehun glared at him, clearly unimpressed, until Chen half-heartedly added "and the rest of you are probably amazing, too."  
  
  


* * *

 

Exchanging information and making up theories might be fun, but it didn't speed up their investigations. The next day, Sehun found his preferred entry into the temple blocked by people, both Soter followers and a few policemen scattered in between, trying to gain authority over the stubborn higher ups. He patiently waited until he could catch a glimpse of the door, until the whispered pieces of conversations around him told him the whole story. And he decided that Jongin had to take a look at it. He _had_ to.  
  
  


* * *

 

Jongin's mood turned somber upon finding out that the person Chen found dead the previous night was one of his own. He hadn't known the woman well but every long-lasting member of the temple was a family member to him and even years spent in silent company could cause one's heart to ache. Jongin was strong though, much stronger than Sehun, and by the time Sehun showed up at the shop that afternoon, Jongin had turned the grief into determination. The crime scene was guarded and no one of a different descent were allowed to even get close, but Sehun registered the current guard to be a friend of his, so he ushered Jongin over to the temple, explaining the situation on the way there.

"I only heard that something bad happened," Jongin huffed out as he tried to keep up with Sehun's broad steps. "Did another person die?"

"Yes," Sehun confirmed curtly, and the temple walls were already in sight, peeking out in between the narrow alleys. "This time, it was different though. The man could have been saved. Something happened and he died scratching at the temple doors. Because," he attempted, but his voiced faded and he had to swallow down the lump of emotions. Jongin waited.

"Because they were closed. Because they're always closed," Sehun added in a whisper. Never before had he felt this bitter about what was supposed to be a home, a shelter. It had become a cage to someone else.

"That means... that the victim was not one of yours? Because he couldn't open the door?" Jongin asked carefully, grasping his hand in a fashion that had become so natural by now, and Sehun shook his head.

"He was. His eyes weren't silver yet, but he was strong enough to open the doors on his own..."

He didn't mention the whispers of the deity trapping him in, devouring him. The confusion and fear were wearing him down, and the terrifying idea of being trapped to die in Soter's temple was like a cold weight settling in every single bone of his.

Jongin didn't say anything else after that. The door was indeed guarded by his friend, a lanky boy even taller than Sehun. To any passerby, Jongin would look like a fellow member in his white robes, but Junhong identified Jongin as an outsider immediately.

"What are you trying to do, Sehun?" he asked unhappily, shuffling half a step in front of the door. Sehun squared his shoulders and slipped into the comfortable state Soter taught him.

"He's a friend of mine, and I asked him to take a look at this," he said calmly. Junhong crossed his arms, still wearing a frown.

"He's not one of us. You know how it is at the moment... we can't trust strangers and it's none of their business."

Sehun was starkly reminded of the way he had said the exact same thing to Chen the evening before. _This doesn't concern you._ But if he played by the exact same rules, that meant he knew them by heart.

"It is indeed our business, and he will be the glasses we might need to _see_ ," he said, quiet but urgent. "I trust him, Junhong. Just let him look at it. Allow it for my sake."

Soter was a deity of loyalty, and Sehun had been there for Junhong in the past. They both knew he had won.

"But he will not step inside," Junhong muttered as he made way for them. Hesitantly, Jongin approached the door. The blood had been cleaned off and yet Jongin knew exactly where to place his hand, as if he was already feeling it. Sehun was still in awe of Jongin's talent, and also a little wary and helpless because one never knew what was going to be revealed. He stood right beside him, ready to catch him should whatever Jongin see cause him pain.

He felt Junhong tense up just like him when Jongin's fingers touched the stone and immediately flinched back, only to return with more force, pressing his whole palm to the door. Sehun watched him closely, watched his brows furrow in concentration, the way he bit his lips caught his breath. He was about to pull him away, worried for his breathing, when Jongin let go and inhaled sharply, clenching his fist as he blinked repeatedly.

"It wasn't the deity," he whispered, hoarse and quiet, staring at the door in a mix of disgust and fear. "It was a person."

"We have no murderers among us," Junhong began, but Sehun gestured him to save it, to let him speak. Jongin hadn't even registered the interruption.

"Something happened and the person got scared. A man. He was a man. He ran away and he was faster than the victim. He held the door closed to be safe. He left the other to die," Jongin whispered, and Sehun carefully placed a palm in between his shoulder blades.

"It was the same person who also attacked the man that we- that was found in the temple," Jongin added, almost in trance, and Junhong stepped back into his original position, forcing him to take a step back.

"That's enough. You should leave," he uttered, looking distraught and obviously wary of Jongin. With a faint, grateful nod, Sehun pulled Jongin away, who was still lost in the images his vision had provided him with. Jongin's eyes were almost as dark as back when he had met him for the first time.

"It's the same person who is tracking down Chen, I saw him," he muttered, and Sehun shot him a side glance.

"You saw what he looked like?"

But Jongin only shook his head.

"No. I saw Chen. I saw the men, and I even saw the bleeding woman. She was dead and he was dragging her over the dirty ground to lie under the flowers."

Before he could say anything in reply, Jongin stopped in his tracks, refusing to move.

"I saw through his eyes, Sehun. It was dark and everything felt wrong. There was glee and anticipation and- he didn't _care_ about their lives, and I felt what that's like, Sehun. It was in my head. _It was so scary_."

Just shy of a whisper, Sehun could hear the crack in his voice and pulled him into a sideways hug, until Jongin turned to rest his forehead against his shoulder, breathing deeply.  
  
  


* * *

 

It was late at night when Sehun self-consciously tugged at his hood one last time. The temple of Horme looked dark and quiet. At one point, Jongin had told him that they preferred to pray in the mornings, maybe even around noon, rarely in the evenings and never at night. Now that he stood in front of the entrance, he was having second thoughts. Jongin was back at his own home, probably resting, with Kyungsoo keeping him company. It would have been nice to ask him to come along, but Sehun had to do this on his own. He wasn't even sure why he had to do this, but with all that had been happening in the past moon cycles, Sehun felt like it was his turn to take initiative. Maybe this would help him _understand_. Clearly, both their fellowships were involved in this, and while Jongin had never failed the urge to get insight on Soter, Sehun had just accepted the way things were. Fine, he may have let Jongin in, but Jongin was only one representative of a huge collective. And there were still many thoughts and actions Jongin did that Sehun couldn't understand.

Unlike the Soter temple, Horme's doors were open at all times, to everybody. How ironic that Sehun had never made an effort before and waited until he would definitely get odd stares. Even he was aware that the current tension mostly radiated from the threatened followers of Soter, but _open-minded_ didn't equal to an eternal amount of benevolence. Sehun was seriously wondering whether he would be allowed inside. Still, he had come this far, and the doors were open, as they always were. Slowly, he took the stairs, waiting for someone to stop him. No one did. When he crossed the doorstep, he saw a person sitting right beside the door, bundled up and reading a book. Sehun froze in his tracks, feeling caught. The middle-aged man looked up from his book and while he could see a frown flickering over his face, he simply lowered his gaze back to his book. Sehun waited another second, unsurely hovering in place, but the man had stopped paying him any heed altogether. What was probably considered very rude behaviour by Jongin brought nothing but relief to Sehun, who walked into the main hall, carefully taking his hood off. It was beautiful. All big temples were, though each in their own way. Sehun loved the white, clean marble their temple was made off, but the polished dark grey and black stone was quite a sight. Everything was perfectly lit by intricate lamps that were filled with pure light instead of fire - a blessing so ancient that it must have been bestowed many, many years ago. There were also tiny drains carved into the ground, perfect lines that sometimes took detours and led to every single exit of the hall. Sehun looked around to determine the source of water. It was running down a nearby wall, following the carved drains perfectly, and yet it seemed like such a random path. Even when curiosity had clearly taken over, Sehun looked around as he cautiously made his way over to the stairs he assumed were leading towards the water's source, but no one paid him any heed. It was odd, being allowed into the inner rooms of a temple, and it filled him with a sense of awe and respect. These were intimate grounds that people allowed him to step on, so he had to tread carefully. It was not an unfamiliar feeling, but seeing it in such a grand scale was sobering to Sehun, who was used to moving freely - even brashly - where he was allowed, subconsciously assuming that anything of value would be naturally kept away from him. As he followed the water, walking along a winding hallway, he thought of Jongin and how brave he had been to approach Sehun the way he had. He had always welcomed him with open arms.

The water took a turn and then Sehun stood in the main hall again, observed where it was flowing from a tiny hole carved into a wall. For some reason, he really wanted to know where the water originally sprung from, so he took another flight of stairs and walked down a hallway until he found it. If this were the temple of Soter, Sehun would not be able to track it back as an outsider, but here, everyone who was curious enough was allowed a fair try. Though Sehun couldn't be sure about the even chance. The water never disappeared out of his sight for long though, and it seemed to be traveling through the whole temple in a very unpredictable, undramatic pattern. He stopped worrying about not being accepted and simply focused on the water. Soon, he realized that focus alone wasn't enough, and that he had to think more like Jongin. One time, he stared at a dry, winding hallway and had to close his eyes and listen intently to find the water. Another time he was confronted with a choice and had to trace back when he realized that it was the wrong corridor he had walked down. But the water didn't go anywhere. Patient and steadily did it run through the drains. Sehun had no idea how far he had gone, but he had to be really high up in the temple. The winding drain changed to a long, long line down an equally straight, plain hallway. There were no more windows, making the place seem timeless, thanks to the light flooding it. Slowly, a bit of the caution returned to Sehun, now that he saw the intricate pattern the water was filling in the ground, flowing in from one room he just knew had to be the last one. There was a stunning imagery carved into stone, leading the water out of the wall and setting it free to flow into a tiny pond below, from which it could fill the drains and start its descent. Vines crawled up the walls, the first plants he had seen in this place. Sehun stepped close enough to smell the water, to feel the faintest sprays of water on his cheek, and now that he reached this place, he was filled with a strange sensation. Was it awe, a sense of accomplishment? An odd nostalgia for something he had never personally experienced? He wasn't actively _yearning_ , or maybe he was. Whatever it was, it felt nice and surprisingly calm, like a warm blanket of sun rays on your bare skin. He wondered whether Jongin felt anything similar when touching him, because this was a peaceful type of happiness he had surely been feeling around him.

A movement caught his attention and he turned to see a wisp of smoke. His initial panic changed colors when he realized that nothing was burning and the smoke was odorless. There was more along the walls - it seemed to follow an invisible path, just wandering across the room, unbothered by gravity. Sehun was too frightened to actually move and watched the smoke become thicker. It took a swirl around him, close enough for Sehun to see just how unnaturally it dispersed, and he imagined seeing a pair of grey eyes in it. The smoke thickened and began to take a form, something vague and unsteady. Still, Sehun didn't dare to run. He watched the smoke focusing, forming something akin to a very big, cat-like creature with very big ears and strong legs. It didn't blink, but the glow in its bright eyes seemed to dim a little, and then Sehun felt warmth flashing up on his ear. Instinctively, he reached up to feel the miraculously cool metal of his earring. Without breaking eye contact, Sehun slowly took out the earring with shaky fingers. No words would leave his lips, but as he held out the piece of jewelry, he sent his thoughts out instead.

_One of your children gave me this. It's a present._

Horme stepped closer, and Sehun tried to control his shaking legs. The long chain of the earring actually moved when Horme nuzzled its snout against it. Then the deity did the same to Sehun's thigh. It felt warm and a bit prickly, but didn't hurt at all. Sehun watched it out of the corner of his vision, not daring to turn his head. He watched the remains of smoke getting thinner, dispersing in odd, swirly motions. For a long time, he didn't dare move and when he did, Sehun left the room, left the temple, as quickly as he could without breaking into a sprint. In his right hand, he kept clutching the earring. It felt oddly warm. Without a second of hesitation, he went to visit Jongin's place to report of the otherworldly happening. To his surprise, Jongin only laughed.

"You're really lucky," he said, leaning back on his bed with a warm smile. "Our dear deity does appear from time to time, but certainly not to everyone. It's an honour."

It only happened because of the earring, Sehun replied. That Jongin was the one who caught the deity's interest. Jongin simply hushed him and lazily ordered him to get rid of his clothes and join him in bed, complaining about how he was tired.

In between languid, hot kisses and noses bumping, Jongin suddenly started laughing, quietly, breathily.

"Don't you think our eyes are becoming similar with each passing day?"

Sehun hushed him with another kiss, hushed his own thoughts that were traitorously calm at that statement.

 

On the tiny table next to Jongin's bed, the earring was blinking in the moonlight. What used to be a white stone adorning it had turned into a shimmery, silver one, but Sehun would only notice that the following day, when his nose wasn't buried in Jongin's hair and darkness and warmth weren't lulling him to sleep anymore.

 


	5. Hematite

 

It was late when Jongin walked home, wandering through dark streets and willing the cool air to soothe his pain. For three nights in a row, they had been attempting to track down the person behind all the chaos, and the success of the mission was mostly relying on Jongin and Sehun, so the fact that they hadn't succeeded yet was making him feel guilty. So guilty that he had retreated himself into the temple instead of going home, like the others, for a long, deep meditation session. Sadly, he got nothing but a pulsing headache out of it. It was probably Horme's punishment for his impatience and selfishness. That, too, filled Jongin with a nagging guilt, but the others were relying on them. Chen was an amazingly strong person, but none of his deity's blessings would help him track down the culprit. Chanyeol was already playing his part by being able to find Chen at all times. Sehun and Jongin had to sense the presence of Chen's pursuer. Sehun could sense a threat, so if he wasn't able to sense him, there would be an explanation for it, since the person would only passively be a threat to him. But Jongin had already gotten an insight on the person before, and he had also managed to feel from a distance. Their fruitless nights were entirely on him.

With a small groan, he ruffled his hair. Sehun had comforted him, had said that maybe the pursuer wasn't stalking Chen every single night without fail. But that didn't silence the terrible _guilt_.

He took a corner and dizzy from his pounding head, he stumbled and narrowly avoided crashing into a guy leaning against a wall.

"Watch it, you little Horme rat," the guy slurred and while Jongin bristled both in fear and anger at the other's tone, he didn't think about fighting him for a single second. Soter followers had become increasingly hostile recently, and Jongin vaguely understood where it was coming from, thought he could hardly call it rational behaviour.

He simply ducked his head in apology and continued on his way, but the man kept yelling after him.

"Not even properly apologizing, huh? What are you doing, close to our temple? Sneaking around, aren't you?"

The man was clearly drunk and Jongin wrinkled his nose in disgust. Then he felt a hard force squeezing his insides together, making his head pulse painfully in protest. Jongin gasped, tumbled, steadied himself at a wall.

"All of you guys don't have black eyes for nothing, don't fuck with me-"

Jongin held his head, tried to identify the foreign pain, but it was just too much.

"Black magic, that's what you're doing. You're cursing us behind closed doors, that's what you do!"

 _There is no such thing as a closed door to Horme._ Jongin couldn't say that out loud because his whole being was focused on staying rooted in reality. The other was attacking him, was using his power like the fighters at the colosseum. Soter was the deity of walls and defense, but every power could be used offensively if the owner wished to. Jongin felt his mental barrier giving way and being flooded. He felt the terrible feeling of helplessness... and then he stopped feeling anything and his hearing turned fuzzy. His whole body felt numb and foreign and he couldn't feel the ground against his feet, and not against the rest of his body when he collapsed. It didn't hurt at all. Jongin panicked and moved, tried to get up, but without the sense of touch, he could only see his quivering limbs fail.

The guy had taken away one of his senses. Had locked it away. And he was still talking, lips moving as he snarled and inched closer and Jongin _had_ to fight back. But he didn't know how. Memories of Kyungsoo flashed through his head, talking about sensitive points that Jongin would never manage to hit in his state. He remembered the fighters of Horme in the colosseum, but he didn't know how they had done it. Jongin managed to sit up and it took his utmost concentration not to fall over. He felt floaty. What if the guy took his sight next? Would he ever get it back?

He closed his eyes and did the only thing he could think of. He prayed. Asked for Horme to help him, please, just this once, because Jongin didn't know what to do. Because he felt scared and helpless.

A look told him that the guy was standing right in front of him, mocking him with slurred words Jongin didn't hear because his own, desperate thoughts were too loud.

_Don't get closer._

_Back off._

The guy reached out to grab his hair and Jongin swayed back.

_Don't touch me._

A wave of pressure hit the disgusting guy, sending him to the ground, and Jongin fell, too. He heard muted screaming and scrambled to his feet, focusing really hard on his body memory. The other was crumpled on the ground now - possibly feeling exposed and vulnerable and suffering the mental pain it was bringing - but Jongin didn't feel victorious. He felt shaken and scared, and as fast as he could, he stumbled away from him. He walked out of the alley on wobbly legs, never letting go of the wall. The first person he saw he called after - told them to take care of the drunk man, that he was injured and needed help. He stumbled down the streets and although he was close to his home, he took a different turn. There was some odd resistance and when Jongin realized that someone had put a hand on his shoulder, he almost got a heart attack, fearing the perpetrator had managed to follow him, after all. He whirled around, only to look into the concerned eyes of Kyungsoo. Relief washed over him and without hesitation he leaned into him. Despite still feeling numb, Kyungsoo's weight was solid. 'What happened?' Kyungsoo asked, over and over again, but it took a while for Jongin to understand. Before he could reply, Kyungsoo was attempting to guide him home and Jongin resisted.

"I don't want to go home," he said, probably way too loud. It was true though. Right now, he didn't want to go home to his open room with the multitude of windows and the door that was never closed.

"I wanna stay at Sehun's place," he explained, trying hard to control his volume. The hurt on Kyungsoo's face was apparent and Jongin clumsily hugged him, burying his face in his neck.

" _Please_ ," he whispered. "I'll explain later, promise, but please. _I need this right now_."

The dull pressure against his chest told him that Kyungsoo was breathing evenly. After a few, painstakingly long seconds, he steadied Jongin and started to lead him down the road leading away from their home. Jongin kept thanking him. If Kyungsoo replied, it was too quiet for him to hear it.

 

That night, Jongin apologized to Horme for his unfaithfulness. Even though the deity had come to his aid, he chose to hide away under Sehun's blankets. But just for now, he reveled in the feeling of _safety_. Because that's what he felt when Sehun hugged him tightly, whispering comforts until they both drifted off. Warm and safe. No one could harm him now.

 

* * *

 

 

"Today is the night, I know it," Chanyeol said confidently, arms swinging by his side.

"That's what you said yesterday, too," Sehun retaliated, rolling his eyes, but he didn't mean it. Jongin smiled. To be very honest, he would be wary if he was out alone in the dark again, but alongside Sehun and Chanyeol, he felt perfectly safe. When he had awoken that day, all of his senses were intact, just like Sehun had promised. _Some drunkard would never have the power to cause permanent damage_ , he had said. _Getting drunk makes you vulnerable and that is not what we live by._

Jongin peeked at Sehun and couldn't help but wonder how relaxed he looked, compared to when he had first met him.

"Besides, Kyungsoo still hasn't arrived," Sehun added, silently implying that without Kyungsoo, they would surely not succeed. Chanyeol shrugged, and Jongin made thoughtful noises.

"Maybe he was held up by something," he guessed. "Either way, we'll be fine without him for one night."

Jongin was pondering about Sehun's endearing respect for Kyungsoo as they leisurely walked down dark alleys, led on by Chanyeol. Chen was close, but not close enough to be in sight. The culprit might not even appear if Chen wasn't seemingly alone, after all.

Without warning, Chanyeol stopped in his steps and they almost bumped into him. He raised his arms way too late to signal them to stop walking since he was trying to sense Chen, but neither complained as they were waiting anxiously. Chen was walking the city in search of signs like the flowers or other suspicious locations. The agreement was that he would never stand still for longer than ten seconds until he found something. Chanyeol sensed that he wasn't moving anymore, meaning that he had indeed found something, meaning that the culprit might be near. Chanyeol was distractingly nervous and twitchy, worrying that Chen might become victim to a trap, after all. Jongin was way less worried, since Chen had probably been through way more dangerous things for a long time already. His personal worries were dedicated to him possibly failing again. He hadn't even meditated or prayed a whole lot that day, after the events of the previous night. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. It was still tough to feel anything at all and he should probably slap away Sehun's hand sneaking into his, to get rid of the distraction, but his whole attention was snatched away when he felt _something_. Vague and familiar, albeit very, very quiet and muffled. Slowly, probingly, he took a step forwards and then another one in another direction. The feeling was prickly and the air tasted somewhat salty. He couldn't pinpoint whether it was the same thing he had felt before. Slowly, he set one foot in front of the other, taking a narrow staircase carved in stone. As he gained height, the feeling intensified drastically and yes, this was finally it. Definitely not a fluke. He felt it, sour and salty, felt the madness. Jongin stopped, looked into a dark alley, but couldn't identify the shadow looming at the edge, but he guessed that one had a perfectly sheltered view of Chen from that spot. He pointed towards the shadow and Chanyeol jumped into action before either of them was ready, running past them as he already reached out with his powers. There was a muffled yell when they collapsed, and Jongin didn't know whether to approach or seek shelter. The two were wrestling way too close to the edge-

And then they fell. Sehun pulled him forward until they could look after them. Jongin caught a glimpse of Chen and the two faintly moaning lumps on the ground before Sehun ripped him around again so they could quickly take the stairs and catch up with them. By the time they arrived, Chanyeol had gotten to his feet and stood right by Chen's side. There were flowers and blood, but Jongin didn't really register them because the lit torches at the walls shed lights on-

"Baekhyun?"

It was Byun Baekhyun, without a doubt. He had gotten to his feet and was ruffling his messy hair, looking mostly unfazed, maybe even a little annoyed.

"I never knew followers of Poine worked in mixed teams," he stated, but Jongin wasn't in the mood to play around.

"It was you? How could it have been you? Have you really followed Chen around? Have you actually- hurt people?" he asked, half-heartedly hoping that Baekhyun would deny it, that they had all made a big mistake. Baekhyun, though, simply shrugged.

"You followed me to this point and now you're asking pointless questions? You ever considered that it's not enough to let all the information and impressions in since you'd also have to _process_ it?"

Jongin was taken aback by the amount of snark he had never heard Baekhyun use before. Sehun let go of his hand to take half a step forwards, silently shielding Jongin.

"Why did you follow me around?" Chen asked, calmly but strictly, being the only one who was unaffected by the other's identity. Baekhyun groaned in exasperation.

"To learn from you, obviously."

Jongin had no idea what about this was obvious and neither did anyone else, it seemed. Luckily for them, Baekhyun seemed to be in a mood for talking though. Jongin tasted his frustration on his tongue, but there was a certain hint of sweet satisfaction in there, too.

Baekhyun was... proud of himself.

"You know, Jongin," he began lightly, "I think despite Horme followers being kinda stupid, I like your deity the most. I could just walk into the temple whenever I felt like it and had I asked, people would have gladly presented me their entire belief on a silver platter. It was so _easy_."

Jongin felt a shiver when all the times Baekhyun had been over at Horme's temple crossed his mind. Whenever he attended dance lessons without being particularly interested in them, whenever he had stayed behind with Chanyeol.

"Why should Horme bless a traitor?" Sehun barked, vibrating with anger. Baekhyun grinned and the satisfaction flared up even stronger and the thick sweetness made Jongin feel sick.

"There is no such thing as a traitor to deities. If I believe, they will bless me. I believe in being open to the world and so Horme blessed me. I believe in passion and Feronia blessed me. Even Soter has finally blessed me. There's no one le-"

"Soter would never bless someone who preaches open hearts!" Sehun cut him off, and Jongin was almost more scared of Sehun - he had never seen him so angry before. Baekhyun shot him a cool look, and then looked at Jongin. Immediately, Jongin felt the crackling in his mind, felt the same way he had back in that alley, and Baekhyun's eyes looked grey in the flickering light of the fire-

Sehun fully stepped in front of him, close enough to feel Jongin's chest against his back, and Chen charged towards Baekhyun without warning. Baekhyun’s focus shifted to Chen immediately, and Jongin couldn’t see anything with Sehun blocking his sight. He forcefully broke free when he heard a muffled, choked sound by Chen. He saw him crumpled on the ground, holding his head, and then he felt the heat radiating off Chanyeol as he attacked Baekhyun himself. Angry, angry heat that hissed viciously when Baekhyun countered with Aceso’s blessing, in the form of ice.

“He closed up his mind,” Sehun rambled, lightly pushing Jongin over to Chen, “quick, maybe you can help him open it up again!”  
Jongin tumbled over to Chen, who had all but crawled away from the two fighting people, holding his head. When Jongin attempted to touch his arms, he was slapped away.

“He faked me out,” he muttered, and Jongin uneasily looked over at the battle that was way too close for his liking. “He acted like he was going to pry my mind open, and when I attempted to defend myself, he used the momentum to strike me down. I can’t see or hear anything.”  
Jongin had no idea what to do. They didn’t touch other people’s minds, it was strictly forbidden. People could only decide to be open or not on their own, that was what they learnt on their first day. Jongin had never tried this - even back in the alley, it wasn’t him who had fought. Horme had simply descended to help him. Could he hope for such a generous gesture again?  
He pried Chen’s hands away in an attempt to touch his arms at least.

“Let me, please,” he asked, despite Chen’s current inability to hear him. “Maybe I can’t do anything, but you can let me in. I’m not your enemy, you know I’m not.”

Whether it was his voice or a deity’s blessing helping them along, Jongin didn’t know; but Chen allowed the touch, despite being tense and clearly uncomfortable. Jongin could only hope that he would open up a bit this way, and he shielded the other’s body when another wave of heat burnt his back and stole his breath. Behind them, Chanyeol was still wrestling with Baekhyun, who didn’t seem to struggle all that much under Chanyeol’s hits. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he called out for Sehun.

“Sehun! Try to seal his blessings away!” he yelled, and before Sehun could open his mouth, he cut him off, “You _can_ do it! Soter loves you more than him, anyway!”

Baekhyun actually mock-laughed at this, but Chanyeol refused to let him slip away.

“I can’t believe you’re so fucking hungry for power that you would go this far,” Chanyeol said between gritted teeth, and Baekhyun snarled right back at him as he blocked the other’s hit.

“ _This far_? Don’t be all dramatic now. You knew very well that we’ve never been friends.”  
They both tumbled a step away from each other, and for a second, Chanyeol’s ire seemed to have vanished.

“I did,” he said quietly, regret pooling in the two syllables. He ducked his head, fists lowering just a little.

“I was sad about that. But now that I see what you’re really like-”

“Powerful? Ruthless? Skilled?” Baekhyun offered, but Chanyeol shook his head.

“More like empty. You think you can let every belief in, but they need room to grow. There is no soil left if you plant too many flowers on limited space - it ends up spent and brittle.”

“What are you, a gardener?” Baekhyun asked, giving his all to sound as bored as possible. From where Jongin sat, he couldn’t see Chanyeol’s face, but he could see that he was getting ready to strike again.

“What are _you_?” he asked back at him, tone biting and harsh, “you used to be a child of Aceso. Aceso followers taught me this, and yet you’re questioning me - you _cannot_ evenly believe in everything at once!”

Instead of a verbal reply, Baekhyun moved his hand in a simple, hard movement - up and then down, a perfectly straight line - and the air turned cold. Chanyeol whimpered and Jongin hastily turned back to Chen, who was grabbing his arms, anchoring himself.

“I can hear things,” he said quietly, obviously trying not to get noticed by Baekhyun. Jongin rubbed his back almost feverishly.

“Good. I can’t really do anything but you need to try and loosen the knot,” he rambled, and Chen nodded.

“I know. I’m trying. Can I impose on you? Can I let you in?”

“Of course,” Jongin said without hesitation, a bit confused on what he meant by this. Then Sehun yelled in pain and Jongin whipped around. Chanyeol was lying on the ground, panting, and Sehun sat on the floor, on hand at his head as he looked up at a smiling Baekhyun.

“You really thought you’re better than me, didn’t you?” he asked, crossing his arms almost casually. “But in reality, you’re a joke of a Soter follower. Are your eyes even any shade lighter than usual at this point? You decided to get all lovey dovey and turn on your beliefs, and yet you think you’re better than me?”

Sehun didn’t reply, and that seemed worse than anything he could have possibly said. He must be feeling the same guilt Jongin felt when he looked his fellow friends and family in the eye. They could have become friends, lovers even, without mixing their ideals and beliefs, and yet that’s exactly what had happened to them.

“Maybe I should open your mind up real far. Nice and wide and open,” Baekhyun snarled, and it sounded vulgar and dirty the way he said it, causing Jongin to bristle, “make you see just how wonderful Horme’s way of living really is.”

“Jongin,” Chen whispered, and Jongin forced himself to look at him. Chen’s eyes remained closed, but he easily tugged Jongin down so he could whisper in his ear.

“My real name is Jongdae,” he said. There was something odd about this statement, because Jongin _felt_ it. Felt that his perception of Chen - no, Jongdae - had changed disproportionally to the amount of information he had received. There was no questioning it as long as this helped Jongdae opening up to someone.

“Okay,” Jongin whispered back, his gaze flickering between Jongdae and Sehun.

“Don’t tell anyone without my permission, please.”

“I won’t,” Jongin replied, panic sneaking into his voice as Sehun tried to crawl away from Baekhyun, helplessly shielding himself with one arm.

“I can see a little,” Jongdae muttered, stumbling to his feet. Jongin had to steady him since he was obviously still lacking a sense of touch.

“You can’t fight like this-” he began, but Jongdae gently shook his head.

“I don’t have to,” he said quietly and his gaze was dark and hard as he slowly walked towards Baekhyun, still steadied by Jongin.

"Look at _me_ ," Jongdae commanded. "Since I was your initial target, you should look at me. You owe me some answers."

"I don't owe anyone a thing," Baekhyun swiftly replied with clear disdain.

"You owe many people a variety of things, it seems," Jongdae disagreed, crossing his arms. "You're a _murderer_."

For the first time since they had exposed him, insecurity flashed over Baekhyun's features, quickly replaced by stubbornness.

"I am not. I didn't know Poine tolerated liars."

"You're the liar!" Jongin burst out, despite Jongdae quietly asking him to stop. "You attacked Soter's followers at their temple! Because you wanted to forcefully get inside the temple to study the deity!"

Baekhyun huffed, but Jongin wasn't done yet, since there was something that particularly angered him, and that was a certain, icy cold memory.

"You locked someone inside the temple where you left him to _die_!"

"Yeah, but did I kill him? I think not!" Baekhyun hissed, his temper flaring up, "You think that was me? Well, you're wrong. I got nothing to do with your deities trying to rip each other's guts out-"

He cut himself off just long enough to enjoy the frozen expression on both Jongin's and Sehun's faces.

"Yeah, that's right. Your deities are goddamn messed up. You think it's just people who are oh-so evil, but _no_. You think I killed that Horme girl I laid out for Chen to find? I found her, lying dead in some alley, covered in white scratches slitting her up entirely! That wasn't some mean conspiratory move, that was a deity's work. Must feel good, to be so devoted to an insane deity-"

"What about the man you locked inside the temple? Was he attacked by someone else, too?" Jongdae interrupted him. Jongin didn't even want to say anything right now; his thoughts were tumbling over each other in a writhing mess of confusion.

"You have no idea," Baekhyun said in a conspiratorial tone that alluded to a mixture of feelings so twisted that Jongin was starting to feel nauseous again.

"Horme itself appeared and bit pieces out of his skin. I didn't want that to be me, and the deity's hunger was sated after that guy."

There was still satisfaction that Jongin felt radiating off Baekhyun, but also fear, anger and shame. It was just too much. Surely no one who could honestly believe in so many concepts and feel so many things this intensely could stay sane for long. Chanyeol was right. Baekhyun’s mind was porose.

"You left someone out to die whom you could have saved," Jongdae said bitterly, placing a hand on Jongin’s upper arm in silent comfort.

"And yet you dare speak about this with a smile. Someone like you would never wander the path of Poine, no matter how hard your power-hungry self might try."

Baekhyun's smile got even lighter now that he could push the guilt away and into a deep corner of his mind.

"Ah, but see, that's where you're wrong. Poine has already started to bless me, just like every other deity before her."

He got back into a fighting stance and everyone tensed up. Everyone but Jongdae, who took a few very calm steps towards him, dismissing Jongin. He took the opportunity to hurry to Sehun’s side, making sure he was alright.

"Oh?" Jongdae asked right back at him with faked, mild curiosity. "Then go on. Prove it. Prove to me that Poine listens when you call for her."

Baekhyun only grinned confidently. Jongin actually took a step back, having heard and witnessed Jongdae's powers before. Poine was the deity of justice, so Baekhyun was probably bluffing, but what about the other blessings he had managed to garner?

Baekhyun closed his eyes, and Jongin held his breath. There was a vague light surrounding Baekhyun, there was a rumble in the sky and a shift in the air. Jongdae’s expression was unreadable as he stubbornly remained rooted to the spot. When Baekhyun opened his eyes, they seemed vaguely yellow, and his triumphant smile was the last thing Jongin saw before lightning struck down, wiping their visions in a pure white. There was a yell mixed with the growl of the sky, and then Baekhyun lay on the ground, motionless. In front of him, Jongdae stood with his hand palming thin air. For a long second, only heavy breathing was heard.

"Is he dead?" Chanyeol rasped out from his position on the ground, his voice speaking of insecurity and fear, but definitely not hope. Jongdae shook his head.

"I directed the lightning away to take most of the blow, but..." he trailed off, crouching down to turn Baekhyun's head just enough so they could see the dark symbol of Poine seemingly burnt into the side of his face.

"He's brandished now. Deities mean well for humans and goodnaturedly bless whoever believes in their philosophy, but no one blesses a brandished one," Jongdae explained, and his gaze was hard, with no mercy to be found. "Because they all trust in Poine's judgement. Deities, too, need protection in their own way.”

The others slowly approached until Jongin could clearly see the symbol. The realization had still not fully sunken in. Baekhyun had always been such a simple, cheerful person whom Jongin had found quirky, but intelligent and well-meaning. Despite being open, he had not been able to sense any of this in time.  
“Poine is the deity of justice. She cannot be fooled,” Jongdae said in a somber, matter-of-fact voice and sank to the ground next to Chanyeol, who was doing his best to stay upright despite the way he was shaking. “If you try to fool her, you’ll get burnt.”  
Jongin stared at the motionless figure of Baekhyun with glassy eyes.  
Despite the major confusion reigning over him, there was one thing at the forefront of his mind, calling for attention.

"He said that it wasn't him," he whispered. "He said the deities are the ones fighting. Do you believe him?"

The question was directed at Sehun, because Jongin felt more naive and vulnerable than ever, and Sehun wasn't as easily swayed like him.

"I believe that it wasn't him who actively killed," Sehun said quietly, looking down at Baekhyun with his brows scrunched in something akin to disgust. "But we don't know if he understood what was going on. I can't believe that our deities suddenly turned so hostile they are fighting each other and ripping their followers apart. I can't believe that."

"It's incredibly hard for humans to understand deities," Jongdae said solemnly, leaning back against Chanyeol's legs, who silently offered support. "We do not speak their language and while some of them could communicate with us, they often choose not to. Poine also judges deities, but Poine is silent about both Horme and Soter," Jongdae added, sounding a bit tired. "I can't tell you what that means. The only thing we know for sure is that the story doesn't end here."

"Then let's go and visit Horme," Sehun suddenly burst out. Jongin shot him a disbelieving look, but Sehun seemed determined.

"Horme already showed itself to me, so certainly it would show up for you, a loyal follower," he insisted, grabbing Jongin's shoulder. "Your senses have become so sharp, Jongin. Can't you just touch the deity and try to read the situation? Let's try to end this."

"I can't just _read_ Horme," Jongin protested helplessly, "what a strange- I don't know, Sehun. It seems wrong to me-"

"But why? There is nothing wrong with it. Let's try it, Jongin. We followed all the hints and Baekhyun's words are just another puzzle piece. We can't give up now."

"Okay, but-" Jongin started, feebly looking for a way to meet in the middle, "Let's go tomorrow. I'm tired. I need to calm down before actually attempting something this difficult. You need some rest, too."

Sehun begrudgingly agreed, his care for Jongin winning over his impatience, and Jongdae sent them both off on their way, assuring that he would take care of both Chanyeol and Baekhyun. For a good part of their way home, they were both silent, lost in thought. Jongin kept thinking about Baekhyun, about how wrong he had been all this time. But he also thought of Sehun's proposal to try and meet Horme, and it filled him with anxiety. Jongin felt like he wasn't as worthy of a follower of Horme as he used to be, and that filled him with shame. Baekhyun had been right about this, and Jongin knew it. The fact that his deity blessed him so generously, anyway, only further added to the guilt. Horme hadn't given up on him yet. But could he really step in front of his deity the way he was now?  
“Did you get hurt, after all?” Sehun suddenly asked. “You’re so silent.”  
Jongin huffed and linked their arms, desperate to be as close as possible.  
“Look who’s talking. _You_ got hurt. Are you alright? Do you feel comfortable?”  
To his surprise, Sehun only hummed.  
“I’m good. It was a shock, initially, but I thought of you, and how you live like this all the time. And I’m with you now, so no one else sees the way I am right now.”  
Jongin was touched, but still worried.  
“But-”  
“It’s all healed now,” Sehun interrupted him. “If someone violently _rips_ your mind open, it’s not healthy at all, so my body quickly covered it up again.”  
Jongin was amazed that he would heal so much faster than Jongin had, back in that alley. Maybe it really was the confidence that did the trick. Sehun seemed overall rather breezy and brave right now. Probably an echo of what had happened to him.  
“You know, I don’t regret anything,” he said suddenly, and Jongin made a questioning sound as they took a turn into another deserted street.  
“That I’m not walking on Soter’s path as surely as I used to,” Sehun elaborated, “that my eyes turned a little dark recently… I don’t regret that.”  
Jongin couldn’t reply anything but a soft “ _Oh_ ”. He would have loved to bravely add that he wasn’t regretting it, either. But he wasn’t so sure about that yet, and it hurt. Sehun wasn’t pressing him for an answer. Instead, he changed topics.  
"Do you think Kyungsoo will be home?"

The question suddenly but gently tugged Jongin back into the present.

"He might be? It wouldn't be odd for him to spend the night at the temple, though. That has happened before."

Sehun hummed skeptically, and Jongin made a mental note to ask Kyungsoo about Sehun. He had gotten the impression that the two didn't like each other much, but nowadays, Sehun was insanely attentive when it came to Kyungsoo.

_A pulse, reverberating through his body. A dull throb._

Jongin paused, instinctively grabbing his chest. When he looked up at Sehun, the other seemed confused, too.

"Did you feel that?" Jongin asked, and Sehun actually nodded.

"Maybe? I think... I'm not sure what it was but-"

It happened again, and Jongin didn't like it. Not one bit.

"How come we both feel it?" he asked, not expecting an answer. He turned and picked up his pace, though he had the certain suspicion that he would not be safe from whatever this was. Not at his own place and not even at Sehun's.

"Let's check up on Kyungsoo and then-" he paused when the pain pulsed through him and Sehun's breath hitched, "Then we'll go to the temple like you said. This isn't right."

They didn't even make it to Jongin's home, though, because the pulsing sensation got stronger and they heard a vague commotion in the distance. The source was Horme's temple. When Jongin realized that, he started running. He didn't want any tragedy to happen at his home. He didn't want any of his family to be hurt, but the reality was that he could probably not prevent that at all-

People were gathered around the temple and yet no one stood even close to the entrance. Policemen were yelling, everyone was yelling, really, and Jongin ignored them all as he pushed through, feeling Sehun's hand on his back, reassuring him he was still there. Someone tried to stop him from entering, but Jongin swiftly slipped through and then almost stumbled over one of the bodies on the ground. Their heads blurrily flashed by in his vision and Jongin didn't even try to identify them, for his attention was caught by the thick, white mist filling a corner of the room. It seemed like a living being, and one that people were trying to fight. One that people lost to, judging by the small number of scattered people, and Jongin's heart dropped even further when he recognized one of them.

"Kyungsoo?"

Kyungsoo's head flew around for a second, but then the other had to use his focus to block what looked like an invisible strike.

"Why are you here?!"

"Because I thought _you_ would be here!" Kyungsoo yelled back, still keeping his lower arms raised protectively. "I was worried about you!"

"What's going on?" Jongin asked, when a deafening, shrill howl filled the hall, and Jongin feared he might turn deaf for good. Pressing his hands to his ears, he couldn't help but think that the screech sounded like that of a wounded animal. Next to him, Sehun wasn't covering his ears and looked both shocked and disturbed. Jongin saw his lips move, and he had to wait until the ringing in his ears had died down enough before he asked him to repeat whatever he'd said.

"This is Soter," Sehun repeated, loud enough to carry over the chaos, and Jongin turned back to the smokey creature. He had no idea how Sehun would have come to this conclusion, but Jongin knew nothing about Soter. It wasn't even known what Soter looked like, and Jongin refused to marvel at the creature that was currently hurting Kyungsoo and his fellow children of Horme. Now that he looked at it, there were also two followers of Soter among them. Fighting side by side for the first time.

"I don't know, apparently it just appeared and began to take the temple apart," Kyungsoo yelled over to them, and Jongin jumped back when the deity screeched again and a wave of heat and pressure hit him.

"They tried using Horme's power against it but it wouldn't work," Kyungsoo explained further, and Jongin was both insanely scared and helpless - how could they possibly calm down a deity? He wondered why Horme hadn't shown up yet. Wouldn't the deity want to protect its shrine and fellowship?

Jongin closed his eyes and desperately called for _help_. Not for his sake, but for Sehun's and Kyungsoo's, and for everyone else present. He was begging Horme to save them, and tried to ignore another scream, not realizing that Sehun was the one screaming, the one who was suddenly in front of him, and then they both got struck down by an invisible force. Jongin scrambled to sit up, reaching out for Sehun, who was staring at a bleeding wound on his arm with utter disbelief. Without thinking, Jongin reached out to touch his upper arm, wanting to support him _somehow_ , when he felt it. He felt something that hit him like it had hit Sehun, and surely, their expressions were a perfect mirror of sudden realization.

"It's the exact same pain," Jongin said just loud enough to reach Sehun, whose lips were parted in shock.

"It felt warm and prickly. It felt like Horme, like that time Horme came to me."

They both stared at each other, processing information, considering whether they were actually right or not, but everything fell into place all of a sudden.

Jongin jumped to his feet, almost tripping.

"Everyone, stop praying!" he yelled through the hall, and then walked further into the battlefield to repeat himself, waving his arms.

"Stop! It gets worse if you pray! This is Horme, this is our beloved deity!"

"What are you talking about?!" someone asked, and Jongin didn't even identify whether the person had bright or dark eyes, because it didn't matter.

"Horme and Soter are the same instance! They're one, they've always been one!"

People were starting to pay attention to him now - the things he said were too outrageous to ignore.

"We've been tearing our deity apart with our different expectations," Jongin urgently said, and winced when someone was hit by the deity, getting immediate attention by the person close to him.

"We're tipping the balance by demanding blessings," Sehun exclaimed, still incredulous over the revelation. "That's why we were hurt more than Horme's followers."

"-because you pray at night, when we're asleep and not putting up any resistance!" Jongin added, adrenaline pumping through his veins because this made _sense_. "But when we pray, you're going about your day, conscious and demanding for _Soter_ , even if quietly so!"

"How could they possibly be the same? Soter and Horme are completely different! You are insane!" someone yelled, but Jongin wasn't able to stop now.

"The deity is torn apart and you're hurting it more by praying, so you gotta stop!" he insisted, trying to relax, despite everything. He mustn't demand anything from this deity right now, which was writhing in pain.

"Kyungsoo!" Jongin called out, and then, " _Please_."

He didn't specify what he wanted, but Kyungsoo understood.

_Please be strong for us right now. Please fight a fight we cannot win._

He saw Kyungsoo gear himself up, shoulders rising and falling, saw the way he closed his eyes and how they glowed purple when he opened them. Jongin had never seen such an intense color, and then Kyungsoo did something that was deemed impossible - he put his whole body and strength into pushing back the invisible force that he had been defending himself against. He _pushed_ and Jongin felt the force, felt the pressure, and saw the air and smoke being forced away. Kyungsoo had hit an actual deity. By no means had he defeated it, but that wasn't what they wanted. That wasn't what would be right. If anything, all of them were deeply indebted to the creature screeching quietly, almost pathetically. Jongin and Sehun shared a look, and then they firmly held hands as they approached the wounded deity. Jongin didn't know who had been squeezing whoms hand first and who was simply pressing back out of self-defense. Jongin wondered what was harder - trying to not be open to this deity he worshiped his entire life or trying not to close up at the sight of your deity being there, and wounded. But maybe the confusion and struggle was what made them strong this time.

"Horme and Soter have never been that different," Jongin said as they walked past the others. The hall was silent, except for the sounds the deity made and Kyungsoo's exhausted panting.

"Horme is about being open and gaining an insight, about finding solutions," Sehun said, and Jongin shot him a small, shaky smile.

"Soter is about defending yourself and protecting everything that's dear to you, locking out the unworthy," he added, and they stopped in front of the mist that was twitching in and out of form. Sehun held him back, fumbling around for a second, before he was holding out his earring. The thin line of metal was shaking until Jongin placed his hand over Sehun's.

"Do you remember this?" Sehun asked, and his an odd serenade of shy, fearful reverence was resonating in his voice. "The one who gave it to me is right here."

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze as they both stared at the deity, nervous and afraid, all their emotions aligning perfectly. Jongin knew that his eyes weren't dark and Sehun's weren't as bright as they used to be - surely, surely they shared a hue of silver now. Because Sehun had learnt to open up and Jongin had learnt to treasure security.

The tiny, silver ball at the earring was shimmering unnaturally, and the smokey instance stopped moving erratically and as if it was unaffected by human time. It moved with more purpose, slowly balling together into an all-too familiar form of a feline being with large ears. It looked like Horme as Jongin had met the deity, except for the color of pure snow and shiny, silver eyes. The deity was visibly calming down, closing and opening his eyes very slowly. It reminded Jongin of a cat bearing trust by letting its guard down, and so he tried to reply in kind by dropping his gaze to the floor. When Sehun's breath hitched, he looked up to see the deity touching the earring with his muzzle, and he swore he heard a light tinkling in his head. Slowly, and incredibly carefully, Sehun reached out. Bit by bit he closed the distance until his hand was lying on the wispy head of the deity, lightly caressing it in one shy move. The deity nudged his hand once and Jongin smiled, feeling its acceptance and how soothing the momentary absence of immediate demands was. He felt so much more than before, and dimly realized that Sehun had never been a distraction. If any, he had sharpened his focus. Thanks to him, Jongin learnt of the other side of Horme, and learnt to embrace it into his life. Thanks to him, he learnt that sometimes, taking a step away from perfect openness in order to focus more efficiently could lead him further. He learnt a lot from Sehun and Sehun learnt from him. Or maybe they both helped each other to learn from their deity.

"Because our deity is a key," Jongin stated out loud, a little louder than before, and more confident. "And a key can both lock and unlock. It depends on what we make of it."

With a soft sound, the deity dispersed into thin air. Jongin heard the echo of it for a long time, would still hear it ghosting around his mind under the safety of his blankets later.  


The story was not going to end here, as Jongdae would say. There was a lot to do and there would be hard times to come. Two groups of hostile people couldn't just merge within the blink of an eye. But Jongin had come this far and felt that with the deity on their side, people would see in time. He felt like they could definitely do this, and they would give it their best shot... in the morning. Because while the urge to solve the problem at hand was still pulsing through him like an old, ingrained habit, he was ready to also stop and allow his exhaustion to well up. Allowed himself to seek safety in Sehun's arms, just until they were both recharged and ready to face the world with newfound energy.

  


* * *

 

 

"Do you really think they're not a thing yet?" Sehun asked doubtfully, polishing metal as Jongin scrubbed the counter. Sehun was getting better at everything he was allowed to do in the shop. So much so that Jongin's master was playfully talking about hiring Sehun, too. Jongin hummed in contemplation.

"I'm telling you, I think they're not," he finally said, "If they'd be, I'd know. Chanyeol is an open book to me. I feel like they're just stalling time at this point."

"I think Jongdae is still too enamoured by the concept of friendship to think about anything beyond that," Sehun joked, but they both knew there was a spark of truth in it. Jongin had yet to forget the stunned face of Jongdae when they had asked him to meet up again, for no specific reason. _Just like that, just to have fun_.

"So you're saying it's our fault that Chanyeol is making puppy eyes at him all day?" Jongin asked. They didn't mention that Chanyeol was still visiting Baekhyun at Aceso's temple a lot, despite their relationship being difficult and not even very pleasant. Because despite that, Chanyeol was still glowing around Jongdae, and sometimes Jongin felt a familiar sense of joy that Sehun was radiating right now. It was warm, silently simmering, and it urged him to lean over the counter and steal a quick kiss from him. The joy felt like warm sun rays caressing your skin. Jongin's senses had dulled down a bit, just like every Soter follower's senses had. The deity of two names was still recovering, and that was alright. Things were looking up.

Which meant that there was finally time to enjoy himself and get closer to Sehun.

"I actually thought of an interesting place we could visit," Jongin chirped, already wiping down the tiny, wooden dust out of the corners of the counter again.

"Oh? Interesting in which way?" Sehun asked dubiously, but curiosity was already winning him over. Jongin smiled way too widely at that, but he just couldn't contain his excitement.

"In a lot of ways. It will be fun."

Sehun hummed, eyes trained on the metal in his hands.

"Are we gonna invite Kyungsoo, too?"

Jongin blinked.

"I'm not sure this would be a place you'd want anyone but us in," he said slowly, suggestively even. Sehun only furrowed his brows.

"But it's Kyungsoo," he said neutrally, expression perfectly blank. Not for the first time did Jongin think that the sparkling silver orbs matched his hair and skin even better than before. He gave up.

"Alright, I'll ask him," Jongin relented with an eye roll that Sehun petulantly countered by throwing his polishing rag at him.

Jongin still smiled as he rubbed the streaks of black oil off his face.

Things were looking up.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the deities were inspired by actual (minor) Greek and Roman deities:
> 
> the deities were inspired by actual (minor) Greek and Roman deities:  
>   
>  ****  
> Soter (Σωτήρ), male spirit of safety, preservation, and deliverance from harm
> 
>  **Horme** (Ὁρμή), spirit of impulse or effort (to do a thing), eagerness, setting oneself in motion, and starting an action
> 
>  **Feronia** \- wildlife, fertility, health, gives freedom to slaves
> 
>  **Aceso/Acesis** \- goddess of healing process
> 
>  **Bía** (Βία "Violence"), the personification of force and raw energy
> 
>  **Poine** (Ποίνη), spirit of retribution, vengeance, recompense, punishment, and penalty for the crime of murder and manslaughter  
>   
> thanks for reading!  
> p.s.: the chapter names were easter eggs, too, alluding to the colors dominating the chapter - with kyungsoo getting his respective chapter title because he _is_ important to them, after all.


	6. Extra: Charoit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **warning: dubcon!**  
>  (and ot3 shenanigans)  
> this was supposed to be a part of the main story, but the internal timeline wouldn't allow it  
> so it's an added bonus chapter now!   
> warning: this includes smut and Kyungsoo. if you're in any way triggered by either of this, you might not wanna read it~  
> enjoy <3  
>  

 

It was dark outside. They had been walking through town for quite awhile already, and yet Sehun had no idea where they were going. It was quiet in town, with nothing to fear for them anymore with the atmosphere having calmed down significantly, so Sehun wasn't exactly _worried_. Just... curious. Kyungsoo was with them, just like he had demanded, thinking nothing of it.

"Are we going to eat out? Visit a theatre?" he asked, and Jongin denied it breezily.

"No! You seem hung up on food, considering you guessed a restaurant thrice now," he joked, and Sehun frowned.

"Eating out and going to a special restaurant or bakery aren't _exactly_ the same..." he childishly stated, and Jongin clapped his back, laughing way too enthusiastically. He was very obviously nervous, Sehun didn't need a blessing to tell him that (not to mention that he was still a novice when it came to the 'unlocking' part of their deity's blessing).

"I can still leave you two," Kyungsoo evenly suggested, but Jongin shook his head.

"Sehun wanted you to join, so that's how it'll be."

Sehun looked in between the two guys who exchanged looks he wished he could decipher. What was this surprise Jongin had been initially raving about but that made him so nervous now?

They took another corner and then Jongin and Kyungsoo stopped without warning, causing Sehun to belatedly try and do the same, softly bumping into them. He looked up at the generously lit entrance of a tiny temple he knew all too well, and his eyes widened. They couldn't be serious.

"Well, here we are," Jongin said airily, crushing Sehun's doubts all-too casually. The entrance was lined with light, in the typically pale mix of red and rosé that Aletheia was known for. The rest of the temple disappeared in the shadows, casually nestled in between other houses.

Aletheia was the deity of truth and sincerity, and the way it was worshiped differed a lot. It was infamous for places like the one they were standing in front of right now - places to seek pleasure in. Many of Aletheia's followers believed love-making was the purest form of truth a human could participate in, and were always open to help other people explore the _truest part of themselves_.

"You can still say no if you don't want to," Jongin offered, and he looked really enticing, dipped in the pale red light. Aletheia's signature color was quite tacky, maybe even vulgar, seeing as it was the color of flushed skin, tongues and other... private parts, but right now, Sehun couldn't find it in himself to complain. Jongin always looked gorgeous when a blush managed to stand out on his tan skin.

He looked back at the temple and contemplated it.

Sehun had most definitely never set a foot in one of _those_ temples. He'd never had a reason to, and the prospect of baring himself like that had been appalling. It still was, if he was being perfectly honest. This part of his old Soter belief was one he would probably never truly separate from. But if it was just Jongin and Kyungsoo, maybe... maybe it would be alright.

"If it's not too... much?" he asked vaguely, and Jongin immediately shook his head again, placing a comforting palm on his shoulder.

"No, no. It will definitely just be me taking their elixir. You'll be just fine."

"Elixir?" Sehun repeated helplessly, and Jongin's eyes widened a tiny bit, betraying bashfulness.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I did this before, so that's why I... never mind. You'll see. You will be in a perfectly normal state though, and can leave the room at any time. Promise."

Sehun nodded numbly, feeling very underprepared, but trusting the other two enough to follow them inside. Many lamps adorned every nook and cranny of the entrance area, all of them casting a salmon-colored glow over everything. In combination with the elaborate tapestries being placed generously, the room felt smaller, busier. Maybe others would feel cozy in here - Sehun just felt mildly uncomfortable and suffocated, but he assumed that this was nice if it was familiar. Jongin walked to a counter where an almost offensively beautiful man was watching them with a small smile, eyes wandering up and down them in mild interest.

"Hello," Jongin said softly, as if he didn't dare disturb the dim, warm atmosphere. His arms were placed on the counter and he kept restlessly shifting his weight from his heels to his toes.

"Good evening," the man replied equally softly, though obviously more relaxed than Jongin. "How can I help you today?"

 _Today_. Sehun pretended not to have noticed that word and just nervously stared around the room, until Kyungsoo placed a hand on his back, which was oddly calming.

"I'd just like one pill, please. This man here will be my confidant," Jongin said, gesturing over at Kyungsoo. He paid an amount Sehun couldn't see from where he stood, and the receptionist scribbled something on a piece of paper that he asked Kyungsoo to sign. Sehun was silently unhappy to lose his touch, but to his relief, Kyungsoo silently returned to his side when he was done. His other side was occupied by Jongin, who was tapping his fingers on the counter as he waited for the receptionist to store the paper away and take out a single pill. Even in the warm light, Sehun could tell that it was filled with intensely blue liquid. The receptionist wasn't looking at Jongin though. He was looking at _him_ , attentive and patient, until Sehun realized that he was the center of attention.

"Your first time here, isn't it?" the receptionist asked, and Sehun nodded. The receptionist's hand sank until he was loosely steadying himself on the counter, and Jongin's gaze was fixated on the floor.

"Let me explain this, then," the pretty man began, making a dismissive wave with his free hand, "just a formality, really. If your friend here takes this pill, it will reveal a different side of him - one that you might not have seen before. This one, the blue pill, is focused on desire. Human desires can take odd forms though, and they might even be harmful for the one feeling them - or those around him - so anyone who takes them needs a confidant, someone they trust enough to look after them. Our Bía child here," he said, gesturing at a stoic Kyungsoo, "will decide whether anything would harm your friend in a way that would make him regret it after. He has the last word, and if he tells you both to stop, you'll have to."

Sehun stared at him with rather wide eyes, soaking up the new information. Jongin wanted to be intimate with him while Kyungsoo was present? While he was sort of drugged?

Doing something like this seemed insanely risky on Jongin's part.

As if reading his thoughts, the receptionist smiled and hummed knowingly.

"It's a lot of responsibility. That being said, the confidant is not allowed to get involved. They are a source of trust that must not be corrupted."

Sehun nodded as if he actually understood when in reality, his mind was still busy piecing everything together. The receptionist simply accepted it and handed Jongin the pill without even looking at him. Sehun watched him swallow it without hesitation.

"Great! I'm not really worried, seeing as you two aren't here for the first time. Play nice," he said to Sehun in particular, who didn't even have the presence of mind to be flustered, "remember, he's putting his trust in you."

With this, he gave them a key with a little plate saying _24_ , and wished them a lot of fun exploring. Sehun was almost too thrown off by the casual demeanour of the receptionist to ask questions. Keyword being _almost_.

"You did this before?" he asked as they walked down the hallway, plush carpet muffling their steps. Sehun didn't even try to eavesdrop, in case he heard _things_.

"It's actually how Kyungsoo and I met," Jongin admitted sheepishly as they came to a halt and got an excuse to fumble with the key and leave the talking to Kyungsoo.

"I was here to pick someone up, and Jongin was loitering around," the other filled in the gaps with his smooth, perfectly unbothered voice. "He wanted to try it and asked me to be his confidant. I said yes."

Sehun had so many questions right now. He didn't know which one to ask first as he padded after them into the room.

"Just like that, you said yes? And you asked a stranger for something like _this_? Were you out of your mind?"

Jongin walked over to the big, plush bed taking up a good chunk of the room, slipped out of his shoes and threw himself on the bed to get comfortable.

"Not insane, I was open and curious," Jongin said with a shrug, but it was clear that he was a little flustered in retrospect. "You know, this is almost like a dare for Horme- for the Horme part in me," he corrected himself. No one mentioned the little slip up, since it was a known fact that beating old habits took time.

"It's the most open you can be, in a way," Jongin elaborated, stretching himself out on what looked like a very comfy blanket. Sehun unsurely sat down on the edge of the bed. The room was a perfect extension of the rest of the temple - warm, cozy, and covered in plush carpets and wooden furniture that was decorated colorfully. There were comfy-looking armchairs, too, and Kyungsoo pulled one over to the bed before sitting down. Their knees were almost touching.

"And how could you just say yes to something like that?" Sehun asked Kyungsoo, watching the way the other patiently placed his outer robe on the back of the seat before turning to him. His eyes didn't betray any form of lust nor sadness. If Sehun was in his place, he would have never agreed to watching a man he once desired - or maybe even still desired - make love to someone else. Or watch a stranger. Sehun didn't know which one was worse. Kyungsoo looked nothing but calm though.

"It was interesting to me," he said, and reached out to touch Sehun's shoulders, shooting him a questioning look. Sehun simply sat still and felt cool fingertips graze his skin as his robe was pulled off his shoulders painstakingly slowly. Behind him, Jongin went somewhere, probably to the bathroom. Sehun absently thought about how glad he was that he had cleaned himself so thoroughly before this, faintly hoping he and Jongin would get intimate after whatever he had planned.

"A stranger would, for some reason, trust me with something like this," Kyungsoo mused, and Sehun's expression didn't betray the shiver that was running down his arms as Kyungsoo's fingers ran down his bare skin. "In addition to that, I never really set foot inside Aletheia's temple, and just like Jongin, I was... curious."

"And Jongin was handsome," Sehun breathed out meaningfully, immediately feeling his stomach drop. As if he had missed a stair. Overstepped a border without intending to. Kyungsoo only met his gaze, both hands loosely resting on his waist now. His gaze was unreadable, but not because he withheld his emotions like Sehun had used to. There was light reflected in his orbs, a certain warmth and something dark and deep as the sea at night.

"He still is," Kyungsoo said softly, barely above a whisper and yet perfectly sure. Sehun didn't understand the different kind of shiver that was running down the back of his neck that very moment. Their gazes only broke when warmth spread over Sehun's neck, and he craned his head to see Jongin but only ended up burying his nose in the other’s rose-colored hair that very faintly smelled of his fruity soap. He watched Kyungsoo pull the chair away until it leaned against the wall so he could take a seat there. Only now did the realization that Kyungsoo would be watching them really hit Sehun. He wasn't sure whether he could confidently do any of this, being watched like this. Jongin didn't seem to share his shyness, judging from the way he hummed against his skin, hands already wandering around to feel up his torso, sneaking beneath the fabric. Whatever the elixir did, it seemed to be working.

"Sehun," Jongin quietly said with an amount of yearning that reminded Sehun of both a whimper and a moan. He hummed in question. Hoped it didn't sound as shaky as any words would, right then. Jongin's eager fingers were skimming his soft stomach, already wandering down shamelessly. Sehun looked at Kyungsoo, who had picked up a random book from the shelf beside him, and wished that he, too, had taken a magical aphrodisiac. Carefully, he stopped Jongin's fingers by pressing them to his stomach, waiting for him to keep on talking. He had wanted to say something, Sehun was sure of that. It took a few more wet kisses up his jawline before Jongin finally gathered his courage.

"Can I be your puppy?" Sehun heard, whispered into his ear, and he felt the heat creep up his face. A puppy? A dog? Jongin wanted to be a dog?

Sehun wasn't sure he could do this, but he treasured Jongin and making him happy also made him happy. Even if this was going to be strange and awkward, Sehun was determined to make it an amazing time for Jongin.

"Okay," he murmured, feeling embarrassed over how unsure he sounded already. He could see Kyungsoo actually looking at them over his book in mild interest.

Now, Sehun wasn't a virgin, and he had been with Jongin before, multiple times. It had always been a very emotional affair full of heavy feelings clogging up his throat. He wasn't used to... whatever Jongin was currently going for.

Either way, the other didn't seem to mind his insecurity - or maybe he hadn't even noticed it, Sehun mused - and swung himself off the bed to kneel in between Sehun's legs with a _grace_ that was so unreal and yet so, so _Jongin_ that Sehun was both turned on and full of affection, which was a familiar combination. His eyes grazed Kyungsoo’s again, before they finally dropped to the mop of slightly messy hair. Sehun had never thought of how even Jongin's natural hair color was a little similar to the color of seduction. He definitely thought about it now, as he watched Jongin unabashedly reach out to untangle Sehun's robe and reach lower-

"Puppies don't use their hands like that."

It was an objective statement, calm and collected, and when Sehun looked up to meet Kyungsoo's gaze, he realized that he was talking to _him_ rather than Jongin. Sehun blinked. He was right, of course. But how far into this act did Jongin want to go?

Slowly, he reached for Jongin's hands, but the other quickly placed them on the ground - Sehun felt one of them on his feet. The way he looked up at him could be interpreted as remorse or sheepishness over acting out. Jongin looked at him unsurely, as if waiting for Sehun to scold him, but instead, Sehun gave him the lightest nod, encouraging him to go on. Even when Jongin leaned in to nose his way under the fabric, tugging and nudging the fabric with slight difficulty, Sehun couldn't shake the image of how dark his eyes had been. They had only ever been this dark when he had meditated for a long time. Now it wasn't his orbs, but the pupils that made his eyes look like a moonless night.

Sehun couldn't and wouldn't deny that seeing Jongin like this confused him. When Jongin's lips finally reached his base, Sehun felt himself twitch, felt the pang of confused arousal. Because Jongin's lips and tongue on him felt good - wet friction of unpredictable, kittenish licks that were soothed with open-mouthed kisses in between. It was definitely different from how Jongin usually touched him though. It was more... enthusiastic. Sehun blamed it entirely on Jongin's odd, current state that seemed to lack any shame. For a second, Sehun forgot about Kyungsoo, forgot about the puppy thing and simply closed his eyes, moving his hips towards the unpredictable source of pleasure ever so gently. Blindly, he reached out until he felt Jongin's hair, only to cup the side of his head as gently as possible. Jongin hummed around his length, _mewled_ , even, and then Sehun gasped, eyes fluttering open. Jongin had attempted to take as much of his length as possible, without as much as a warm up, and while it was tight and slick, urging Sehun to move into it, Jongin was having visible trouble not gagging. He was still trying though, stubbornly blinking away his tears. Before he knew it, Sehun had grasped his chin, pulling him away from himself. Jongin actually resisted, as if he couldn't help it, as if he liked the scent and the act, the texture and taste. As if he liked the smears of white he was licking off his lips almost absently. And Sehun saw the _puppy_ sitting between his legs - so eager to please, so ready to push himself, so desperate to be good for him.

Sehun tightened his grip just a little, licking his own lips.

"Stop," he said softly, but firmly, secretly aspiring to sound like Kyungsoo, whose presence he was still aware of, but not focused on right now. He waited until Jongin stopped squirming and looked at him, all wide eyed and vulnerable. Sehun had seen fear in Jongin's eyes, actual, genuine fear for his life. This was completely different, and for some reason, Sehun was calming down. Jongin wanted this. He saw it in the way he looked at him, in the way he began to move his head in Sehun's grip just until Sehun told him to stay still. It was the obedience, Sehun thought. It was the seemingly unconditional power he held over Jongin right now, that had intimidated him right from the start. This could be thrilling, though. If he tread carefully, this could be thrilling... and probably very pleasant.

"You want to make me happy so badly?" he asked quietly, friendly even, but with more confidence than he had felt all evening. He could see the spark dancing over to Jongin, whose expression lit up a little, and after the faintest nod, he turned very still in his grip. Under his expectant and most definitely needy gaze, Sehun touched himself with his free hand, stroked once, twice, shuddered from the long-needed stimulation. Jongin whined, just a little. Sehun didn't let go of him and instead gathered the few smeared droplets of white to rub them on Jongin's slightly parted lips.

"Ah," he said, reprimanding him when Jongin attempted to smack his lips, "stay still."

Jongin listened, and Sehun leaned in a little closer as he evenly spread the sticky substance over Jongin's lips, rubbing it in with his thumb, all while being watched attentively. Impatiently. Sehun drew away again, one sticky palm on the bed and the other gradually loosening its hold on Jongin.

"Stay still," he repeated again, not willing to simply tell him to 'stay', because Jongin didn't deserve harsh demands when he wasn't even really trying _not_ to listen to Sehun. Also he may still be a bit too shy to use actual dog commands.

Jongin looked at him, making an effort to swallow without his lips meeting, and he waited. Sehun felt Jongin's hand dig into his ankle, but he didn't mind.

He waited, counted to five in his head as he watched Jongin with a tilted head, marveled at how innocently dirty the white on his plush lips looked.

"Okay," he whispered encouragingly, and nothing more was needed. Jongin smacked his lips, licked them clean, and then Sehun's world turned as he was pushed into the mattress by Jongin, who was suddenly over him, smiling down with something akin to joy. Sehun felt floaty, as if he had entered a dream realm. The weight of Jongin was solid and real, and so was his playful smile as he held Sehun down, sprinkling wet and sticky kisses down his exposed neck. This was still Jongin, who was very much human, and yet he was also a... puppy right now. A fragile thing that wanted to play, that wanted him. That accepted him as a figure of authority. Sehun didn't dare call himself an _owner_ inside his head, but that's exactly what this was about. As if on cue, Jongin rubbed their lower bodies together and moaned right into his ear, and Sehun huffed out a breathy laugh. _That, and pleasure, of course_ , he mentally added.

"Let's get you ready," he murmured, before rolling them over so he could pin Jongin down instead. Between the lust and excitement, Sehun caught a spark of warm joy, one that was very Jongin-like and that he was used to. Encouraged by that, he held Jongin down with one hand as he reached for the nightstand, retrieving the discreet jar of clear gel. Together, they made quick work of Jongin's clothing - with Sehun being way more patient than Jongin himself - and Sehun half-heartedly covered a part of them with blankets; they'd probably slip any moment, but Sehun booked on them staying until their own bodies were heated enough not to care.

At the first fingertip, Jongin made a choked sound, twitching away. Sehun, who knew very well what Jongin could take, forced his finger in further, despite Jongin tightening up ridiculously. When Sehun scraped along his walls, Jongin actually yelped and started thrashing under him. Confused, Sehun held him down so he could pull his finger out without hurting him. Instinctively, he looked up at Kyungsoo, who was still sitting in his chair, looking back at him. Sehun felt a little helpless and was almost expecting Kyungsoo to step in so he wouldn't hurt Jongin. Kyungsoo, however, simply blinked, tilted his head a little and looked at Jongin, not a single trace of worry in his face.

"Your puppy is disobedient," he stated, and if this was any other person, Sehun would have stopped this all in a heartbeat, assuming Jongin's confidant didn't care about his well-being. But this was Kyungsoo, whom Jongin trusted. Whom Sehun trusted, too, so he looked down into the slightly troubled face of Jongin, and decided to give it another try, but with a different approach. Jongin couldn't talk right now - for some reason, this was already a given in Sehun's head - so he had to watch him carefully.

"You could make him listen," Kyungsoo suggested almost noncommittally, getting a stubborn glare from Jongin, but Sehun shook his head, just a tiny bit.

"He's not disobedient," he said quietly, carding his hand through Jongin's hair. The other leaned into it without hesitation.

"He's just a little scared."

Sehun used his full weight to pin Jongin down this time, wedged himself in between Jongin's legs to force them open just enough as he slowly, but surely worked him open. But he also placed his free arm above Jongin's head so he could lean down, keep as much skin contact as possible as he brushed his lips over the side of Jongin's face, whispering words against the heated skin.

" _Shh. You're doing great_ ," he said softly, rubbing his finger in a way he knew Jongin loved. it emitted a surprised little mewl from him, and while his muscles tightened, he didn't flinch away this time. " _That's it. A little more, it's all good_."

With his eyes closed, Jongin inhaled shakily as Sehun added a second finger.

" _You're good. You're so, so good_ ," Sehun murmured into his ear, and felt Jongin's leg wrap around him almost shyly, heard him exhale deeply, evenly. Even before the third finger, Jongin had started moaning, a string of small, throaty noises tumbling out, and Sehun's own, slightly faded arousal had returned, itching for him to relieve the pressure and touch himself. But Sehun was patient, because he knew it would pay off. When he felt like he’d used half of the jar's gel, Jongin was perpetually rutting into his hand, quietly moaning as he nipped around Sehun's throat, and Sehun felt oddly high on both lust and power. Without warning, he pulled out his fingers, much to Jongin's protest, who mewled and put his leg and arms down on the bed to look up at him unhappily. His chest was heaving, and Sehun was so captivated by it that he smeared the remaining gel over his collarbones and chest before cupping his cheek once more.

"So _adorable_ ," Sehun breathed out, and before Jongin could start whining again, he added "now take your treat."

The air was pressed out of his lungs when Jongin turned their positions to sit on his lap, forcing himself down and taking all of Sehun in one, non-too-careful go. He was well-prepared, sure, and yet Sehun felt like it was their first time all over again, with Jongin squeezing him so tightly that he was scared to move and loathed his temptation to do it, anyway. Sehun grabbed his waist and guided him along, nice and slow, feeling his length dragging out of the tight heat and then back in. Nice and languid, at a pace he could enjoy for hours, just how he liked it. Jongin was grunting quietly in protest, but Sehun didn't only want to indulge himself, he also didn't want Jongin to overdo it. He threw his head back and blearily realized that Kyungsoo was still there. Still staring at them, at Jongin and him. Sehun craned his neck to see him touching himself over his robe, just enough to take the edge off, probably. And Sehun felt like offering him a better show, so he roughly pulled Jongin down, eliciting a breathy moan. Then he let go of Jongin entirely, orderly placing his arms by his side and looking up at Jongin with a challenging grin.

"You know how to do it," he said, no, demanded, albeit softly. Jongin was already moving up and down, but at the open permission, he smiled almost elatedly, with his glassy eyes and dusty red cheeks, before putting his whole body into the movements and Sehun tried hard not to betray how close he was getting just from looking at Jongin. He wasn't a dancer for nothing and moved so, so fluently with his back arched beautifully, legs sticky with sweat and gel pressing against him so nicely. But the best and simultaneously worst thing was his face and the way ecstacy was painted across it with such obvious colors, the way he threw his head back as he made that continuous string of sounds in the back of his throat, hummed at every roll of his hips and Sehun dizzily told him to open his mouth, because he wanted to hear how the hums turned to 'ahs', reveled in that. And then he looked up again, at Kyungsoo, who was looking at him now, instead of Jongin. He was looking at him, and he seemed to like what he saw. Sehun only ripped his gaze free when he was about to come, and Jongin squeezed him as he dropped down, crowding Sehun's vision. While the pleasure rippled through him, he felt Jongin actually lick the side of his face and he absently buried a hand in his locks, baring his neck further so his puppy could lick or bite, because he had definitely deserved everything that very moment.

Those were the impulsive, strange thoughts Sehun had been thinking while he felt Jongin's insides become even stickier with his own cum. When the pleasure ebbed down, when Jongin's movements softly slowed down and the licks turned back to kisses, Sehun wasn't thinking anything for a good moment.

As soon as a sudden thought managed to hit him, after all, he reached down in between them, but Jongin batted his hand away before Sehun could attempt to make him feel good, too. Instead, the stubborn boy nudged him to his side so he could firmly embrace him from behind, nuzzling around Sehun's sweaty neck like it was nothing. In turn, Sehun pretended Jongin's hardness pressing against his lower back was nothing, too.

"That was... very amazing," Sehun rasped out carefully, unsure of how deep into the act Jongin still was. From his current position, he saw Kyungsoo and felt a little exposed - not that it mattered at this point.

Jongin hummed in agreement, nudging a leg in between Sehun's. He really was terribly aroused still, and Sehun was about to offer him a return of the favour yet again, when Jongin reached out and Sehun saw him get a hold of the jar that had miraculously not rolled off the bed yet. He was still nosing around his neck, holding him open with his own leg just enough to feel around his entrance with slick fingers. Sehun twitched in surprise, but didn't resist. He was spent at the moment, but this was about Jongin, and so he curved his back as much as he could, lifting his leg in a way that gave him a better access. Kyungsoo's watchful eyes did odd things to him. Before this, Sehun had been focused entirely on Jongin. Now he had nowhere to look, nothing to busy himself with, as his love took him apart despite him being exhausted already. Whenever Jongin hit a sensitive spot, Sehun made an unhappy sound in the back of his throat, and Kyungsoo actually bit his lips. Sehun lowered his gaze to the silken mattress when Jongin's rather rough fingers were replaced with blunt, familiar pressure that was both terrible and wonderful. Terrible because of his sensitivity and the preparation that was just shy of being too little. Wonderful because deep down, Sehun enjoyed this feeling, because the unusual angle felt so interestingly different and more intimate. Jongin slung an arm around him, pressing them together with a sweaty palm on Sehun's chest, and pushed, rough and without warning. It pressed the air out of Sehun's lungs, the thoughts out of his brain and replaced it with a sudden wave of feeling overwhelmed. Jongin wasn't usually like that - he was a graceful tease, a passionate lover, yes, not a rough one. But the way he was pulling out just to push back in was forceful enough to shunt Sehun closer to the edge of the bed, if it wasn't for Jongin holding him in place. Their positions had been sort of reversed earlier, but this felt different still. Sehun had praised his puppy, had pushed him but mainly for the other's pleasure, had a tight grip speaking of security. Jongin though, was rough in the way he handled him, in the way he nonchalantly forced Sehun on his stomach, held up Sehun's obediently lifted hips, and was powerful in his demeanor. Sehun blearily thought that even the cutest puppy was still an animal, that Jongin had snapped and was _taking_ without regards right now. He felt a hand on his neck, pushing him down even further, and Sehun turned his head to the side to inhale shakily.  
Out, a burn, emptiness, the feeling of falling. And in, pressure on his neck and a helpless moan tumbling off his lips. Sehun liked it. It still hurt a bit, he was still not fully aroused yet, but he liked feeling like this. He liked the way he was pushed, liked to be the treasured prey of his beloved puppy, liked the feral unpredictability and oh _yes_ , he liked the way Kyungsoo was watching them. Right now, he wished Kyungsoo would get up and take a piece of him, too. He sure looked like he wanted it, and maybe it was this desire that made him part his lips all-too willingly when Jongin pushed his fingers inside. A small, treacherous part of him wished it was Kyungsoo's fingers. Sehun tasted salt, different kinds of salt and knew that it wasn't Jongin's substance, which tended to be on the bitter side. He still kept the fingers there, pressing his tongue in between and tried his best not to bite at a very harsh thrust. Jongin was close, he knew it. He reached around Sehun with his now wet fingers, rubbing spots he knew Sehun was sensitive in, just to feel him tighten.

"That's so good," Sehun moaned almost absently, unable to do anything but take what Jongin was giving him, completely encased. "You're such a good boy," he added, high on lust and desperate to spur Jongin on, who leaned over his back, his voice rough and raspy.

" _I know_."

The hand on the back of his neck loosened and tightened again, fluttering along to the shudder running through Jongin's body, and Sehun weakly tried to tighten up even more. He felt the warmth inside him, felt the slick, and it was dirtier than usual. Jongin didn't stay inside him for long, and Sehun found himself oddly sad at that. He had just gotten used to it. Instead, Jongin pulled out, making Sehun painfully aware of how loose he was, only to return to their prior position, with Jongin hugging him from behind. Jongin was panting into his back, and Sehun felt his own heart and lung work hard to regain stability. Exhaustion was knocking at his door, both mentally and physically.

Jongin was peppering his shoulder blades with kisses, rubbing his arms and stomach as if worrying he'd start to freeze any time soon.

"You're so amazing," he muttered against his skin, followed by more kisses. "So amazing. Thank you."

Sehun felt warm from the inside, hearing that his lover was slowly putting himself back together and that he wasn’t mortified or mad. He reached behind himself to blindly pat Jongin's head.

"You're welcome. Any time."

He meant it. It had been exciting, different and in a way, eye-opening about a few things, but Sehun was currently too lazy to waste many words and try to describe them. Instead, he looked up and at Kyungsoo, who had taken a more relaxed posture now that everything was over. He was neither touching himself nor trying to hide his arousal.

"And thank _you_ ," Sehun said, wetting his lips as he thought of the right words to say. "This was probably not easy for you, but it wouldn't have happened the way it did without you. Because Jongin trusts you. And- so do I," he ended, feeling even more shy than when Jongin had taken him like a pliant dog earlier, which had to mean something. Sehun felt Jongin move his head, looking over his shoulder.

"Kyungsoo," he called out, obviously tired and his voice still hoarse. "Come over here."

Kyungsoo blinked, but didn't move another muscle.

"I am not allowed to touch you," he stated.

"I know," Jongin replied, and Sehun pictured him rolling his eyes, "Now come over here."

Kyungsoo followed the sleepy demand with furrowed brows, stepping over to stand in front of them. Sehun had never had to look _up_ at Kyungsoo before, but that was the least worrying first time of that day, he figured.

"Thank him properly, Sehun," Jongin ordered, as if it wasn't a big deal. Sehun disagreed on that and craned his neck to shoot Jongin a disbelieving look.

"Are you serious?" he asked, risking that Jongin might laugh and slap his shoulder and mock him for being so easy to fool. But there was something deeper reflected in Jongin's orbs. It was soft, and Sehun couldn't tell whether it was tinged with sadness or affection. But Jongin only nodded to assure him it was fine.

"Come on," he encouraged him, "I can't touch him, so say thank you for both of us."

He didn't ask whether Sehun would mind this. Maybe he had seen the way Sehun looked at him earlier. Sehun, however, slowly, hesitantly sat up to look at Kyungsoo, silently asking for permission. Kyungsoo's gaze flitted in between the two, but he didn't seem to take the hint, so Sehun cleared his throat.

"Would that be okay?" he asked, and Kyungsoo didn't miss a beat.

"What?" he asked, and there was a shadow of mirth dancing in his eyes. Sehun felt his cheeks heat up, despite everything. He really was going to make him voice it out loud, wasn't he?

"Would it be okay if I touched you?" he said, breaking off into a whisper midway.

Kyungsoo's eyes wandered to the ground as if actually considering it, before he nodded slightly.

"You can try," he said in this peculiar way only Kyungsoo talked. The words would sound like a rejection coming from any other person's mouth, but this was a clear invitation. For a second, Sehun was even more overwhelmed than he had been before. Behind him, Jongin shuffled to the edge of the bed to make room, and Sehun unsurely tugged at Kyungsoo's arm, who pliantly followed suit and sat down on the mattress. How could anyone please someone like Kyungsoo? Who seemed to stand above everything and everyone? Sehun guessed that a Bía follower would love to either work his power or be overpowered. Sehun could offer neither - he couldn't even submit to something that wasn't coming. Kyungsoo was waiting for him to make a move. Sehun had to decide, and somehow, he wanted to impress Kyungsoo, so he pushed the other down and crawled over him without thinking too much into it. Kyungsoo's inky black hair looked nice, spread out like this.

"What now?" Kyungsoo asked softly, though his gaze had gained intensity. Sehun refused to admit that he had no idea, and guiltily looked down at Kyungsoo's body. To his surprise, he was still very much aroused. Kyungsoo actually liked the tension, it seemed. Stubborn to keep up with the surprises, Sehun placed his hand in the middle of the other's chest, only to move straight down without preamble, thin fingers feeling Kyungsoo up. A tiny sigh escaped him, a tiny bit of relief after holding out for so long. Being a child of Bía must be straining, Sehun thought, and squeezed as he sought a way beneath the fabric, just to watch the relief on Kyungsoo's features. Sure, it was an admirable way of living, but even the most loyal votary had to enjoy that little moment of relaxation. Sehun still had a lot to learn about the actual philosophy of Bía, but that was his theory and so he didn't hesitate when he felt hot skin and a faint, wet spot. He wanted to make Kyungsoo relax, without thinking too far into whether this would have bad repercussions afterwards. Kyungsoo's breathing got heavier, he swallowed noisily, and then he started talking.

"You're bad at raising dogs," he huffed out, a faint smile on his pretty lips. Sehun stroked him, experimenting in terms of pressure, in search of what the other enjoyed.

"I raise them with love," Sehun replied quietly, but stubbornly.

"Only to be overthrown," Kyungsoo teased with this barely there smile. Was it fondness? Was that it?

"Last time we were here, Jongin didn't want to play like that," Kyungsoo added, pausing for a breathy, shivering exhale as Sehun thumbed the wet spot blindly.

"He didn't have a different lover though, back then. It was just an employee of the temple who was playing with him."

Sehun hummed, touching Kyungsoo's shoulder with his free hand, to anchor both of them.

"Jongin didn't want to be touched like that by him," Kyungsoo said, his voice losing the natural smoothness and fraying at the ends. "It was just lots of talking. Lots and lots of wasted, dirty words."

"Like the ones you're wasting right now?" Sehun asked with a raised brow. He figured that it wouldn't be alright to kiss Kyungsoo, even though he would like to. The fact that he was starting to talk more and more the closer he drifted into the pleasure was interesting.

"You wanted to know," Kyungsoo only replied. Before Sehun could defend himself, he added, "You didn't ask, but you wanted to know."

The fact that he was even supporting their relationship right now, by extinguishing possible jealousy, woke a certain stubbornness in Sehun. Kyungsoo had suffered enough, had supported enough, and he wanted him to have no choice but to forget about anything but his own pleasure. It wouldn't quite work and finally, he made a whiny noise.

"Sit up, the angle is too weird," he admitted, small and embarrassed, and with an almost indulgent smile, Kyungsoo followed suit. He sat up, and Sehun easily pushed the fabric out of the way to move more effectively. Harder, too. Kyungsoo steadied himself with one hand on Sehun’s back, and the grip tightened. The only sign that he was getting close, aside from his ragged breathing. Then, out of nowhere, he leaned in to _bite_ Sehun's neck, hard. Sehun was sure no one had ever bitten him so hard - it was pure surprise that made him squeeze even harder and helped push Kyungsoo over the edge. The third flavour of white that stained his fingers that day, Sehun mused. Out of pure fascination, Sehun waited until Kyungsoo placed a hand on his to stop him, before speaking up.

"That hurt! What's wrong with you?" he whined - discreetly nipping at his finger to taste, simply out of curiosity - but Kyungsoo just placed his head on Sehun's shoulder to breathe, long and deep. For a second, he imagined hearing something akin to a sob, but then Kyungsoo looked at him with the mirth being back in place.

"Don't be a baby," he only said, but Sehun felt like he could read Kyungsoo's emotions better than before - he saw the gratitude and mental exhaustion. Whether it was a temporary thing or would last, only time would tell. For now, Kyungsoo leaned in to leave a single, lasting kiss over the spot he had bitten earlier. Sehun felt his heart skip a beat, and it shouldn't. It was alright to admire Kyungsoo, to think he was handsome, strong and trustworthy. It was not alright to feel like... this. Instinctively, he looked over at Jongin, who was lazily looking at them from under the blankets, and now Sehun was certain that he looked sad.

"I knew you two have a thing for each other," he said softly, the brave sound of being content with himself unable to drown out the bitterness. "It's okay. I'm okay with it."

Sehun blinked. His mind was working very slowly right now, but the indication finally got to him. And Sehun, faced with a choice, chose justice.

"Jongin, don't be silly," he said, falling into the mattress next to Jongin, earnestly searching his gaze. "Kyungsoo liked you all along. You're his number one."

Because if anyone in that room deserved each other, it was those two. Sehun had just gotten very lucky.

The fact that Jongin looked actually, genuinely surprised at this, made Sehun flick his cheek.

"See how oblivious you have been all along?"

Sehun was joking, but deep down, he was nervous. Nervous what would happen next.

Jongin stared at Kyungsoo in disbelief, voice sounding a little horrified.

"You did?" he asked, and Sehun heard Kyungsoo reply from behind him, all vulnerability already masked up behind a neutral tone again.

"No need to sound _this_ terrified," he replied blankly. "I wasn't going to do anything about it."

"No, I'm just sorry!" Jongin hastily added. "But that means-" he then started, obviously unsure of what to think. "But..."

Sehun watched a flurry of emotions and conflicts flash over Jongin's face, until he instead decided to close his eyes. Whatever the outcome of this was, at least their bed was rather comfy. He was tired.

"Then who's your number one?" Jongin asked, and it took awhile for Sehun to understand that he was being addressed. Sleepily, he blinked at Jongin.

"You," he said, because it was true. "But..." he added hesitantly, trailing off, because that was also true. Jongin looked at him.

"But," Jongin repeated simply, as if this word was most certainly a key he wasn't sure how to use yet. When nothing would come to mind, Jongin made a frustrated sound, ruffling his hair and throwing his head back into the cushions.  
"I'm too tired to think about something like this!" he huffed out, and Sehun snorted.

"Let's sleep," Jongin said, and then, when no one moved, he looked at Kyungsoo with cheeks tinged in rosé, the supposedly lewd, dirty color. Sehun couldn’t see anything dirty about it though.

"Come sleep, Soo."

A second of silence. Then a rustling sound suggested Kyungsoo's soiled robe meeting the floor, and the blankets were lifted.

Sehun didn't turn around, but his free hand blindly grasped Kyungsoo's arm, simply to touch. He could feel Jongin's hand sneaking around, resting on his back, to hold Kyungsoo's hand. Sehun leaned his forehead against Jongin's shoulder and finally allowed himself to fall into a deep, healing and satisfying sleep.

They could figure things out tomorrow. But the warmth he was currently feeling left and right made Sehun think they were on a promising path already.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back when this got posted, people complained about the last chapter, about the fact that this is untagged poly and that there IS poly, tainting(?) their one and only ship. Well, I have faith that if you made it to this point and read the whole fic thoroughly, you weren't surprised by this at all! *haha*  
> The theme and feelings have been woven into the fic all along, especially Sehun's inability to really blur out Kyungsoo, even if that's what Soo offered right from the start. Still, I didn't and won't tag this ship since it has zero relevancy for the actual fic - the fic is about Sekai, about them bonding and fighting evil. This is just a bonus peek into their future~  
> Anyway, excuse my rambling please - I've been kind of upset and sad about this, so now I can finally speak up about it *haha*
> 
> If you read this fic, thank you so much! I'm working on more bonus chapters for the first time in Transparent-History (history, she says, after three fics), so if there's anything you're really interested in, let me know~
> 
> Much Love,  
> Sugar-and-Salt


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